Chasing Tomorrow
by LalaEveryDay
Summary: Ending up with an insanely messed-up, fight-addicted guy with insane anger issues wasn't ideal for Loren. Ending up with an insanely troubled girl who starved herself and used a razor blade as comfort wasn't particularly ideal for Eddie, either. But hey, what else would you expect in a mental hospital? Rated T. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! So, here's the re-write of When Stuck In A Mental Institution. I re-named it Chasing Tomorrow, just 'cause I like that title XD So, I hope you like it(: Enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but plot of my story**_

_**Dedication: To Allyyyyyyyyy, mah creep who let's me live in her basement and watch her bake cookies xD**_

_**Shout-out: To all of the people who liked the original story(:**_

_ Chapter One_

Loren's tiny hand wrapped around her Barbie doll, whom she'd dressed up in a pink dress covered in white lace. Her mother also had a Barbie in her hand, hers with hair cut by Loren's four-year-old hands and wearing plain jeans and a t-shirt with butterflies. Loren's father, Trent, was off at work, leaving just Loren and her mother. Loren loved her parents very much. One day, she hoped to look like her mother, with elegant blonde curls and a permanent smile over her perfect teeth. Her mom was always skinny as well, something Loren, even as a four year old, wanted.

"But mom," Loren voiced her Barbie, "Why can't I go to the ball?" Loren's mom smiled.

"Because, Cinderella," She made her Barbie reply, "You have to do chores."

"But the prince will be there!"

"I said no, Cinderella. Now polish the floors." Loren let out a tiny laugh and made her Barbie walk down the stairs of the hot pink, plastic palace and to the bottom floor.

"When I'm done, can-" Loren started, but was cut of by a pounding on the door. It wasn't a knock, though. It was more forceful; scarier than a knock.

All of a sudden, the door was on the white carpet of Loren's house. Her dad walked in, holding a beer in his left hand and something Loren couldn't identify in the other. A smile grew on her face, but a look of terror crossed her mothers.

"Trent-" She started, standing up. Trent's face was full of anger, hatred. He took one look at his wife and lifted the mystery object.

"Bye, Vanessa," He hissed, before pulling his finger over a trigger and pulling. Vanessa let out a scream just before the bullet hit her chest. Loren stood there, horrified and confused. Red leaked into the white carpet immediately.

"Mommy," Loren whispered. She then looked to her dad, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Daddy?" Trent's face was hard; no remorse or sadness. He lifted the gun to Loren, his finger circling the trigger. Loren's four-year-old eyes filled with horror as she finally understood what happened, and what was about to. But instead of pulling the trigger, Trent lowered the gun and laughed bitterly.

"No. I want you to live with this just like I had to live with you." The words rolled out of his mouth full of hatred. Loren was too devastated to scream when Trent spun the gun around and shot himself in the head, collapsing to the ground just like her mother. Loren tried to call for help, but the words were stuck in her throat.

"Mommy," She managed, kneeling next to her bleeding mother. "Mommy, please wake up." Loren shook her mothers pale arm desperately. "Mommy, please!" By now, the small girl was near hysteria. Blood was everywhere, staining Loren's clothing, as well as Vanessa and Trent's, and the carpets. Loren heard footsteps coming behind her, but didn't turn around until they grabbed her small waist. Loren screamed and kicked, tears flowing down her red cheeks.

"Mommy!" She yelled, sobbing. "Don't leave my mommy! Mommy! I want my mommy!" The man was in a blue suit, and Loren soon recognised him as a police officer from one of the assemblies at her school where a group of them came to speak. He set her gently in the car, while an ambulance pulled up and ran with a stretcher into their old house. The man gently shut the door, careful not to make a loud noise, and locked it behind him. Loren banged on the glass, screaming and crying for them to let her out to see her mother. Two men in white came out, carrying someone on a stretcher wrapped in something that looked to Loren like a garbage bag, while another two followed in suit. Loren screamed even louder, and the same man who carried her got back into the car and started driving.

Loren stared out the window, tears still flowing, up until they finally stopped at a police station. The man got out of the car and lifted Loren up, carrying her into the office.

"Where is she? Is she alright?" A woman's voice asked. Loren barely turned her head and saw a vaguely familiar face. The woman's hair was strung out all over her face, and she wore no make-up and was left in pajamas. Once she saw Loren, the woman sighed in relief.

"Oh, she's okay. Thank god. She's okay." Her voice was hushed as the police officer gently set her down into a chair.

"She's dazed. I'd be careful with her. You still have some paperwork to do, ma'am." The girl nodded hastily.

"Can I talk to her?" She asked. The man bit his lip, then sighed.

"Briefly," He replied, stepping out of earshot to give them some privacy. The woman walked closer to Loren, who was still crying.

"Hey, there," She said, crouching down so they were face-to-face. "Do you remember me? Auntie Nora?" Loren shook her head. Nora smiled weakly. "It's going to be you and me for a while, okay baby?" She whispered. Loren didn't reply, just gave a small little nod.

"When's mommy going to wake up?" Loren asked in a small voice. Nora covered her mouth to hold back a sob.

"Soon honey. Soon."

* * *

*Eight years later*

Loren anxiously tapped her pencil on the sandy-coloured desk. She knew the answers for this test, but they were lost in her jumbled mind somewhere.

"C'mon, Loren, just take the test.." She muttered to herself.

"Miss Tate! Quite over there!" Her teacher, Mrs. Nickelson, shouted. Loren rolled her eyes. She hated Mrs. Nickelson, and she didn't hate a lot of people. Her too-tight black bun she wore every day, the purple lipstick on top of pale white skin, blue eyeshadow over her dark brown eyes and pencil skirt she wore daily.. it's not hard to understand why.

Loren was silent for a few minutes, until she began tapping her pencil again. Mrs. Nickelson's sharp glare met her eyes immediately, but she didn't stop tapping.

_Think, Loren, think.._

"Loren-" Mrs. Nickelson started, getting cut off by the intercom beeping.

"Loren Tate, please come to the principles, Loren Tate," The intercom lady said. Mrs. Nickelson smirked as Loren stood up and stalked out the door, ignoring the stares she got as she made her way to the pastel-pink main office. Loren's skinny arms reached out and turned the door handle, which was even a challenge. Loren knew she was getting weak, but she trudged on to the principles office.

"Loren," Mr. Maddix said upon seeing her, "Please take a seat." Loren nodded, still confused.

"Your aunt will be here soon," Mr. Maddix told her. Loren raised her eyebrows.

"What? Why?" Mr. Maddix sighed.

"One of your classmates reported seeing something in your locker. We had to check it. And we found these." Mr. Maddix reached inside his desk and pulled out a small ziplock bag, with six or seven shiny razor blades inside. Loren felt like she was going to be sick. "Now, we don't know what you planned on doing with these, but, as I'm sure you're aware, razor blades are a hazard and we must know your intentions upon using these-"

"You can't show my aunt," Loren interrupted. Mr. Maddix stared at her.

"We have to. I think I know what your intentions were with these, and that you weren't planning on hurting anyone besides yourself; however-"

"You can't," Loren pleaded, interrupting again. Mr. Maddix was getting frustrated, but he kept himself from lashing out at her. His aunt had explained to him what she went through as a child, and everyone knew about the death of her best friend, Damien, so he tried his best not to make her feel like she was in trouble.

"Miss Tate. She is already on her way. We are also aware of your eating disorder-"

"I don't have an eating disorder!" Loren said, once again cutting Mr. Haddix off. He shot her a momentary glare and she looked to her lap. "I don't have an eating disorder. I just have a small appetite."

"I'm sure you do, Loren," Mr. Maddix replied quietly, just as Nora walked in the door. Loren sunk deeper into her chair and pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head.

"I'm here," Nora announced breathlessly, before taking a seat next to Loren. Loren swallowed hard.

"Thank you, miss Tate. Now, we have come to the attention that these were found in your niece's locker," Mr. Maddix said, pointing to the razors. Nora covered her mouth.

"Loren," Nora said slowly, "Why do you have those?" Loren didn't say anything, so Mr. Maddix stepped in.

"No one has reported assault, so we've been lead to believe that the purpose of the razors is self-harm." Nora gasped a little, and Loren sunk deeper in her chair.

"We have also notice Loren's strange eating habits, and we believe that she may have a case of Anorexia nervosa." Loren scowled at her principal.

"I. Just. Have. A. Small. appetite," She snapped.

"Loren," Nora whispered, her voice hushed, "I think it's time for us to go."

**Okay, so I don't remember the principal's name, so I just called him Mr. Maddix. I hoped you liked it! Please review, fave, and follow and remember that I love you all(:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! So, my computer crashed, and stupid me hadn't saved this yet, so now I have to start all over. Poo. Sigh. Well, I'm really excited to write this story! I think it's going to be good.. please just give it a chance? I know a lot of people don't like sad stuff, but Eddie's going to come in sooner so that's good, right? Sigh. I'm rambling. I hope you like this chapter!**

**_Note: Loren is seventeen in this story._**

**_Song to listen to: It's Time by Imagine Dragons._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nada._**

**_Dedication: To Evelyn3, for being pure amazing and always making me smile(: Love you!_**

**_Shout-out: To Coleegirl, for her amazing stories and advice(: Thank you girl!_**

_Chapter Two_

*Three weeks later*

Nora felt bad. No, worse than bad. Nora felt dreadful.

"Loren, sweetie, get in the car," Nora whispered, peeking through Loren's door. Loren looked merely confused. "And pack a bag. Quickly." Nora shut Loren's door and walked into the kitchen hastily, pulling back out the pamphlet.

This is what's best for Loren, she told herself, this is what's best..

When Loren was finished packing a bag, Nora ushered her quickly into the car.

"Where are we going?" Loren asked, sounding like a child again. The thick sweatshirt Loren was wearing, despite the eighty degree weather, was yet another reminder to Nora that Loren needed help.

"Somewhere, Lo," Nora assured, opening the passenger's side of the car door for Loren. She hesitantly got in.

"Somewhere..?" She urged. Nora shut the door and walked to the driver's side, using her shaking hand to slide the key into the ignition.

"Buckle up," Nora said, ignoring Loren's questions. She did as told, with a firm scowl on her face.

"Tell me, Aunt Nora." Nora sighed and drummed her finger tips on the driving wheel.

"You'll know soon sweetie, I promise. Just.. stay an optimist, okay?" Nora asked. Loren stared out the window, her stomach churning.

"'Kay," She whispered.

* * *

"Wh.. where are we?" Loren asked, looking up at the large brick building in front of her. There were windows, but with wire through it and no openings. Nora looked at Loren, and took her hand.

"Baby, look at me," Nora commanded, fighting back tears. "This is going to help you get better, okay?" Loren looked to her aunt, and then back at the window. She finally realized where she was.

"You're sending me to a nut house?" Loren asked in disbelief. "No. No. No!" Loren sat up straighter, her voice turning to a shout.

"Loren, this is the only way I can help." Nora wiped a tear from her cheek. Loren started shaking.

"No! I want to go back home! Send me to a therapist, anywhere else. I promise I'll get better," Loren pleaded. Nora put her hands on her niece's shoulders.

"Loren, aren't you tired of feeling sad? Don't you want that to go away?" Loren looked at her lap.

"Nora, I'm scared," She uttered, her voice trembling. Nora choked back a sob.

"I know, baby, I know. You're going to be okay. We're going to be okay. I promise. But this is what we need, okay?" Loren knew Nora was right. But she wanted to stay in the car for a few more seconds, absorb this last bit of time she had free.

"Let's go," Nora whispered. She hopped out of the car and then opened Loren's door, helping her out. Loren's legs shook as she walked down the brick pathway to the building, regretting ever picking up a razor or deciding not to eat, then remembering how much better it made her feel and not regretting it at all.

When they finally reached the door, Nora pushed it open cautiously. She wasn't ready to give away her niece for a year and a half, but she was worried if she didn't get Loren help, she'd lose her for a lot longer.

"You must be Loren," A petite woman with dark skin and curls going every-which-way from her head said from behind a desk. She smiled at both of them as they approached the desk.

"I'm Talia," She introduced. Nora put on a fake smile.

"I'm Nora, and this is my niece, Loren," She said, gesturing to Loren as she said her name. Loren put on a slight smile.

"Hi," She whispered.

"Alright, well, Nora, as you are the legal guardian and Loren is still a minor, we're going to need you to sign some papers. Loren, feel free to take a seat over there." Talia gestured towards a cluster of salmon-coloured chairs, not one taken. It resembled an average waiting room, which gave Loren the chills. She always hated waiting rooms.

Loren carefully took a seat, the cold, rough material feeling uncomfortable under her jeans. She let her mind wander, wondering what the people here were like. If they'd be nice or not, if any of them had the same problems. She also wondered if she'd have a roommate, and what they would be like if she did. They'd most likely think she was a freak.

"Loren, come with me," Talia said after at least twenty minutes. Loren's hands shook, and she felt as if she were going to collapse. Nora wrapped Loren into her arms before Loren could even say anything. It reminded Nora how skinny Loren was, and how badly she needed this.

"Stay strong," Nora whispered in her ear. Loren fought back tears, not wanting to cry. She simply nodded and followed Talia, leaving Nora standing in the lobby, hoping she made the right choice.

**Soooo, what'd ya think? :3 I like this better than the original, actually, so that's good, right? Well, please review, fave, and follow, and remember how much I love you all!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Third chap? I think yes! I hope you like, you beautiful people :3**

**Note: Two notes in a row! What whaaaat? Anyways, Eddie is a bit taller in this story than the show.**

**_Song to listen to: Radio by He is We_**

**_Dedication: To silverbellbaby, for being so amazingly nice and talented. Everyone be sure to check out her story! It's incredible._**

**_Shout-out: To all you tree pedophiles out there(:_**

_Chapter Three_

One look at her new room, and Loren knew she was officially in hell.

One bed was pushed against each white wall, with crème coloured bedspreads and salmon sheets and pillow. Two dressers were pushed together in between them, both plaster white with a small vase with a wilting purple flower stuck in it. On the left dresser, a small label read, Tate, Loren. She figured that was hers and took a peek inside, only to find clothes that weren't her own. Some sweatpants, regular cotton t-shirts, a few plain sweaters. The woman, Talia, had to take her bag to the search warrants, who had to look through it and pull out any potential hazards.

Loren figured they'd find her razors.

She perched awkwardly on her bed, and tried to absorb what just happened. Her loving, caring aunt had sent her here. Part of Loren thought that it may be to get rid of her, but the more sensible half knew that Nora was simply trying to help. Suddenly, Loren felt the urge to cry. She'd known she was doomed her whole life, after the harsh reality she'd seen at such a young age, but she never thought she'd end up in a mental hospital. Maybe therapy, of course, but not here. Never here.

Loren's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. A girl around her age's head peeped through, before she cautiously took a step in.

"Hi," She said nervously, "I'm Melissa." Loren gave a weary smile.

"Hi. Loren," She replied quietly. The two were silent for a while, which Loren appreciated. She didn't feel like talking much after so much had happened in the past two hours.

"So," Melissa started, "What do you think of the place?" Loren wrinkled her nose.

"Plain." Melissa laughed and sat on her own bed.

"Yeah, well, some of the crazies here react poorly to bright colours. I hate it. A little personality in here wouldn't kill them, would it?" Loren gave a small laugh at Melissa's comment, only to cover up that she was trying to figure out why Melissa was here. She seemed perfectly normal to her.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here. Don't blame you; everyone's curious about each other," Melissa said with a laugh. Loren shrugged.

"You don't have to tell me. We just met," Loren replied quietly. Melissa sighed.

"Might as well get it out-of-the-way now, though. I tried to kill my mother," Melissa told Loren. Loren pressed her lips together to try to stifle a gasp.

"She was crazy, yet I'm the one who ended up here," Melissa continued bluntly. Loren nodded, not wanting to say much more. It hit her like a brick when she realised she'd be sharing a room with a person who tried to kill someone.

"I'm sorry," Loren whispered, only because she didn't know what else to say. Melissa shrugged and smiled.

"Eh, no big. C'mon, I'll give you a tour of the place. Not much to see, but, y'know, it'll be good to know where things are." Loren nodded again and stood up, following Melissa out the door.

"From here to the end of the hall are just rooms. Not really much, like I said," Melissa explained. Loren gave a single nod and continued trailing behind Melissa.

"Now, there are a few people here that you might want to avoid. Georgia Malden, for example. That bitch makes Barbie look real. And my brother, Phil, of course."

"Your brother's in here, too?" Loren asked in awe. Melissa laughed.

"Again, my mom was crazy." Loren turned her gaze to her feet, watching the blue and white tile pass by.

"Lo-" Melissa started, but stopped when Loren ran into something hard. She fell to the floor, landing on the heel of her palms and her butt. A guy with dark eyes and hair looked down at her angrily. He was attractive, but something about him threw her off.

"Watch it, unless you want to get hurt," He growled. Melissa folded her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"Lay off her, she's new. Now, don't you have some babies to spit on?" The guy rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Melissa. No one wants to hear it," He said simply, before turning his hateful eyes to Loren. "Well, get up." She stood up shakily, looking at her feet to simply avoid looking at him. The guy took a step closer to Loren, making her look up. The glint in his eyes scared her. It was too close to her dads.

"You better watch out in here, little girl. These people aren't like the kiddies on the playground. They'll kill you." Loren swallowed hard, trying to keep herself from remembering that day.

"Leave her the hell alone! Pick on someone your own size!" Melissa shouted, gripping the man's arm and pulling him away from a terrified Loren. He looked like he was about to pummel her, then thought twice about it and walked away quickly.

"There's another person you want to avoid," Melissa said bitterly. Loren took a deep breath.

"Who.. who was that?" She asked. Melissa sent a glare down his way.

"Eddie Duran."

**Pow! Haha, well, I hope you liked it. Don't worry, Eddie will get nicer. Just give it some time. Please review, fave, and follow, and remember that I love you all!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! I'm addicted to writing this story, so I hope you enjoy(:**

_**Song to listen to: Courage by Superchick**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hollywood Heights**_

_**Dedication: To Evelyn3, again! This girl could not be any sweeter, I swear(:**_

_**Shout-out: To Coleegirl. She's amazing. If you haven't yet, read her stories, The Real People and If Only You Could Change Your Family. They're well written, well thought out and original. Read them and get hooked.**_

_Chapter Four_

Loren picked at the salad in front of her, not wanting to take a bite. Melissa studied her carefully.

"You know, it's not as bad as you think," Melissa said half-heartedly. Loren shrugged and pushed it away.

"I'm not hungry," She lied. Melissa looked concerned, but didn't say anything and took a bite of her burrito.

"So," Loren started, "Who is this Eddie guy?" Melissa laughed and rolled her eyes.

"A douche. He thinks he's some big-shot because she has a song or two on iTunes. He acts like he's above everyone, and that he's something like a godsend. Beyond irritating. Let's not forget that he beat the shit out of, like, fifty people and killed a guy but didn't go to jail because his daddy's rich." Loren's stomach dropped.

"He killed someone?" Melissa nodded.

"Yep. Beat this guy to death. Won't tell anyone why. I think that there was no reason, if you ask me." Loren felt as if she was going to be sick.

"How can someone just kill somebody like that? Just take away a life?" Loren asked more to herself. Melissa looked at Loren curiously. Melissa had known Loren for all of two days, yet she could already tell there was something different about Loren. She was dying to know why Loren was here, but didn't ask because she didn't want to scare off her roommate so early. But something about Loren threw her off.

"I don't know," Melissa uttered, taking another bite of the burrito. Loren stared at her salad for a bit, her mind going blank, before she stood up and threw it away, untouched.

"You should eat," A voice said from behind her. She spun around to see Eddie. Her heart sunk.

"I'm not hungry," She whispered, dropping her gaze to her feet. Eddie sighed.

"You're never going to survive here, you know," Eddie told her. Loren sent him a glare.

"So you've said," She retorted icily.

"I mean it. At least pretend you're eating. They're always watching you, you know. They'll sit by you for hours after meals to make sure you don't throw it up. They'll watch you from a distance to make sure you eat, and write down every little move you make on a notepad. They're going to try to get you to trust them- pretend that they are on your side. They aren't. They'll never understand you. Well, I'm sure they've dealt with attention-seekers who starve themselves for attention like yourself, but they don't understand." Loren looked at Eddie, before stepping forward boldly.

"You know nothing about me, Eddie Duran. You think that you know everything, huh? I think the only attention seeker here is you," Loren hissed. Eddie stared at her.

"You're a little small to be talking to someone like me," He noted.

"I'm not scared of you." Eddie laughed coldly.

"What are you scared of?" Loren winced. She was scared of her dad, she was scared of violence, she was scared of the dark, she was scared of gangs.

"Myself," She replied honestly. "That's something you can't hold against me." Eddie grimaced.

"How many times have you been in the same room as a killer?"

"Twice," Loren answered honestly, "Well, now three times."

"How many times have you been close to death?"

"Twice," Loren's voice had dropped to a whisper and she looked to her feet. Eddie took a step closer.

"Well, now three times," He said, mimicking her words from earlier.

"You forgot to ask me what I wasn't scared of."

"What aren't you scared of?" Loren looked up to him, and smiled slightly.

"Death."

* * *

"Believe it or not, there isn't much to do here. So, we normally just go to arts and crafts before or after therapy. Our whole schedule revolves around it." Loren nodded as Melissa lead her into a room, the only room in what Loren assumed was the entire building with a window.

"Hey, Dr. Langly. I brought fresh meat," Melissa joked. A woman in dress pants and a button up blue top looked down at Loren and Melissa.

"Hello, Melissa. Nice to meet you. I'm Dr. Langly, the art supervisor. What's your name?" Loren smiled faintly.

"Loren," She said. Dr. Langly grinned.

"Well, you two got lucky; there are only two seats left. Sit wherever." Melissa quickly took a seat next to a blonde girl with blank eyes, leaving Loren looking for where to sit. Her heart sank when she saw Eddie was next to the only open seat. She trudged towards him, taking a seat next to him reluctantly. Eddie wasn't thrilled, either.

"Next time, come later," He sneered. Loren looked at him, annoyed, then looked back to Dr. Langly.

"You know," Eddie started again, causing Loren to nearly groan in frustration, "You said that you were in the same room as a killer twice. May I ask when?"

"No," Loren snapped with a scowl.

"How about who?"

"Still no."

"Okay, then why don't you eat?"

"You saw me throw one meal away, yet you assume I never eat?"

"Please, you're also practically a stick figure."

"Maybe I just have a fast metabolism."

"People don't come here for fast metabolisms, Loren." Loren groaned, but Eddie just seemed amused. "So, why don't you eat?" Loren shot a glare at Eddie.

"To be like my mom," She spat, before realising that she'd just told this guy, who she barely knows and already despises, one of her biggest secrets.

"Why do you wanna be like mommy?" He asked teasingly. Loren suddenly felt like she was on the brink of tears, but refused to show weakness to this guy.

"Mind your own business," She hissed. Eddie grinned, clearly amused. Loren noticed and grimaced.

"Why do you hate me so much? I've known you for, what, three days, and you already treat me like I'm gum on the bottom of your shoe." Eddie's smile faltered.

"You're so small," He mused, "I just want to see you break." Loren laughed bitterly.

"Maybe I'm already broken. Did you think about that? Maybe I just don't show it."

"No. If you were broken, you would've cried by now. You would've stopped fighting to stay the same. Broken people go where you want them to. Strong people are a lot harder to move." Loren swallowed hard.

"Strong is the opposite of what I am," She muttered.

"I disagree."

"You barely know me."

"I can see it."

"You hate me."

"I never said that."

"You said you wanted to see me break."

"That isn't hate, Loren."

"Then what is it?" Loren asked, looking at Eddie. He frowned.

"Curiosity," He decided.

**I liked this chapter, actually. I hope you did, too(: Please review, fave, and follow!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Remember how I said I was addicted to writing this story? Yeah, well, I still am. Um, I hope you enjoy! Please be patient with Leddie. I really don't want to rush it, so let me have them grow a bit before jumping in(: Thank you all! Oh, and by the way, I came up with an idea for another certain couple I ship very much, so let's see if you do, too ;) I think you just might haha. Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I think you may just like it a little anyways. Okay, I'm done teasing you. Go ahead and read.**

**_Song to listen to: Arms by Christina Perri_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Hollywood Heights, just my story and plot, so please don't take it(:_**

**_Dedication: To Hkg1999, for being so sweet on almost every single one of my stories and giving this one a chance(:_**

**_Shout-out: To cassiejohnson05! LOVE YOU GIRLY!_**

_Chapter Five_

Loren looked at the blank piece of paper in front of her, unsure of what to draw. Dr. Langly had told them to reflect something painful, yet something they can't seem to detach from. Something personal, that no one would look twice at but them.

"You know," Eddie said, looking over her shoulder to see what she was drawing, "You're in here to do stuff, not just to sit here." Loren rolled her eyes.

"Ever heard of privacy?" She asked sarcastically. Eddie shrugged and slumped back in his chair.

"No, actually. Care to explain?" Loren rolled her eyes again.

"Smartass," She mumbled. She racked her brain for ideas, until finally coming up with something. She drew soft lines in horizontal lines, going until the bottom of the paper. Eddie scoffed next to her.

"Lines. Creative." Loren looked at him venomously.

"Will you shut up?" She asked, not angry, but just annoyed.

"I would, but what fun is that?" Loren ignored him and drew a few more lines, before sneaking a peek at Eddie's drawing. It was completely blank, all except for a small circle in the upper right corner.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Loren asked him, gesturing towards the paper. Eddie grimaced.

"You won't tell me, why should I tell you?" Loren studied him for a minute. His face was cold, hard, unmoved. Like a killer. But that's not all she saw. Beneath that, she could see sadness and something she couldn't put a finger on.

"What?" Eddie said, noticing her staring. Loren snapped out of it immediately.

"What?"

"Why were you looking at me like that?" He asked. Loren looked back at her paper.

"Like what?" Eddie stare at her for a bit, before looking back at his own paper.

"Nothing," He muttered. The two were silent for the rest of arts and crafts, which lasted for another hour. Loren couldn't tell if Eddie was just cold or if there was something beneath that, making him the way he was.

* * *

"Loren," Eddie said at the end of art, just as Melissa and Loren were walking out the door. Loren looked at him impatiently, as he held out his paper.

"I'll give you mine to try and figure it out if you give me yours," He offered. Loren stared at him in disbelief, before holding out her paper and handing it to him.

"Fine," She agreed. He took hers and she took his, before they headed separate ways. Melissa looked behind her shoulder and then back at Loren.

"Are you two friends?" She asked. Loren wrinkled her nose.

"Hardly. acquaintance is even an over statement." Melissa stared at Loren.

"He's never payed that much attention to anyone, Loren. Except for his trusty sidekick, or as I like to say, ass hole. One time, I had to sit next to Eddie in art, and all he said to me was that my drawing was stupid." Loren winced.

"He wouldn't leave me alone," Loren said bluntly. Melissa looked over her shoulder one last time.

"Don't trust him, Lo," She warned.

* * *

"Eddie, do you see that girl over there?" Eddie's friend, Ian, asked during dinner. He pointed to Loren, who was picking yet again at her salad. Eddie's stomach lurched.

"Yeah," He muttered. Ian laughed.

"Seriously, she needs to eat a cheeseburger." Eddie glared at his friend.

"Leave her alone, dude," He said. Ian raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"And look who he's sitting next to," Ian continued. "Melissa. Ugh." Eddie smiled slightly.

"Is that how you flirt, Ian?" He teased. Ian rolled his eyes.

"It was one kiss, bro. Plus we were both on new meds. I don't even think she remembers," Ian said. Eddie laughed.

"But you do," He reminded Ian, who was now glaring at his friend.

"Only because it was so terrible."

"Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that." Ian smirked.

"So, why did you stand up for Little Miss Skin and Bones over there?" Eddie coughed awkwardly.

"She's new. Just give her a break." Ian's smirk was now a full-on grin.

"She's a little young for you, don't you think?" Ian teased, but Eddie just rolled his eyes.

"Ian, she's the most annoying girl on the planet. Don't even go there." Ian didn't stop smiling though.

"Sure," Ian said, holding out the 'u'.

"I don't know, man. I just want to figure her out," Eddie mused, studying Loren carefully. She had a single piece of lettuce on her fork, and tenetively popped it in her mouth. Melissa looked over at her, seemingly proud. Eddie was, too, but he'd never admit it.

**Hehehehehehehehe. Heh. Heh. Heheheheh. Please review, fave, and follow for the next chap ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey-o! Sorry it's been a while, I've been busy): I think this chapter will be worth it, though, to all you Leddie lovers. Also, mind my mini-rant right here. I understand that some of my chapters are short, but that's what I'm used to. When I first started fanfiction, the website I posted on had a maximum of, like, 300 words. So, getting it to a thousand is a large improvement in my opinion. I'm working on making them longer, though, so please be patient. This chapter, though, is one of the shorter ones. My apologies, I meant to make it long but it didn't work out. :3 Well, enjoy!**

_**Song to listen to: Little Things by One Direction**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but plot, so please don't take. **_

_**Dedication: To my one and only Hairy Ass Toddler. Lurve you, girly. If any of you haven't yet, be sure to check out julia-neHH's story TRUST. It's beyond incredible and amazingly written, all by one of our favourite Hollywood Heights fighters. If you don't love this chick, well, you're crazy.**_

_**Shout-out: TO ALL YOU DUDES OUT THERE. I JUST FIGURED OUT DUDE MEANT INFECTED ELEPHANT BUTT HAIR.**_

_Chapter Six_

It had been two weeks since Loren last talked to Eddie.

Since then, she had her first therapy session, ate dinner for the first time in months, and was finally given back her bags.

When she checked, her razors were still in there, untouched. Loren didn't know if she was relieved or upset, but she hid them under her pillow anyways.

"So, Loren," Melissa asked at lunch while gulping down a glass of water, "Have you figured out Eddie's drawing yet?" Loren shook her head.

"I haven't even thought of it, actually," She admitted. Melissa stared at her friend.

"Eddie Duran is trying to get you to figure him out. Loren, take up that opportunity." Loren groaned.

"Why should I give a damn what he does?" Loren snapped. Melissa put her hands up in surrender.

"Just saying. That boy's more complicated than a Korean time bomb. You're the closest anyone's ever gotten to his center." Loren laughed at Melissa's wording.

"Maybe I just don't want to." Loren picked at her salad and debated taking a bite, but just put her fork down in the uneaten salad.

"I'm going to go throw this away," Loren muttered, sliding off of the table and making her way across the cafeteria.

"You know," Eddie's voice said from behind, making her jump, "The picture isn't that hard to figure out."

"Whose picture?" Loren asked as she approached the trash can and threw her salad away. Eddie stared at the salad Loren didn't eat, and his stomach lurched.

"Aren't they making you eat that?" Loren shook her head.

"Only dinner and sometimes breakfast right now. Answer my question."

"Mine."

"Well, I'm having a hard time. How about a hint?" Eddie smirked.

"I'll give you one if you give me one." Loren groaned.

"Why are you so set on figuring me out? Maybe I don't want you to know," Loren said. exasperated. Eddie sighed.

"Because, oddly enough, I want to help," Eddie admitted. Loren was a little surprised that the cold, ignorant Eddie wanted to help Loren. But she brushed it off and folded her arms across her stomach.

"You can't help me," Loren replied simply, as if merely stating a fact.

"Maybe I can, if you let me know what was happening," Eddie offered. Loren just shook her head.

"No," She replied curtly. Eddie looked at Loren, studying her closely. She was pretty, but not like the girls he was used to meeting. She looked fragile; breakable. He felt like he could shatter her with the wrong move. She was ghastly thin, but Eddie saw more than that. Her eyes, he could tell, were now lifeless but used to shine. He was just waiting to see her smile, because he knew it would be beautiful.

_Snap out of it_, he thought.

"Loren," Eddie said softly, in a tone that surprised himself, "Please." Loren's scowl stayed firm in place.

"No." Eddie was starting to get angry with her stubbornness. Couldn't see just see that he was trying to help? That he wanted to help her through whatever was going on, and get her out of here as soon as possible so she wouldn't suffer any longer? He was starting to see the white like he always did when he got angry. The colour started fading around him, and he just wanted to hit something or knock something over.

But then, in the back of his mind, he saw someone. Normally, it was his mom. But this time, it was someone new. Scowling. disappointed. Shaking her head as if Eddie was a disgrace. Eddie realised how fast he was breathing, and slowed it down a bit. The white started fading, and Loren came in to view. The stubborn look she had on before was now a look of concern.

"Eddie?" She asked. "Are you okay?" Eddie took a deep breath, before realising what just happened. He just stopped an anger attack. Normally, they came on suddenly; too suddenly to stop. But he just did.

"I'm fine," He answered, before smiling slightly. "Can I have a hint to your picture now?" Loren nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Me. That's your hint," Loren said. Eddie looked confused, but nodded.

"Mind. That's yours." Loren smiled a little, and started making her way back to Melissa.

"Bye, Eddie," Loren said softly with a wave. Eddie smiled.

"Bye, Loren."

**Ooooooh, eeeee! Look at dem youngin's! Please review, fave, and follow, and remember that ER LURVE YER! Oh, and also make sure you eat an apple, incase you like the doctor. SUGAR HIGH MUDDER FIRETRUCKER MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHA.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hai. I'm awkward. Sorry for the shortness, it just.. came out this way, I guess :3 Enjoy, you lovely person! Hehe. Yeah.**

**_Song to listen to: Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus_**

**_Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own Hollywood Heights._**

**_Dedication: Alright, now listen up. Can we please take a moment to appreciate the amazingness of cassiejohnson05? I mean, come on. She has a Facebook page, a tumblr, and a twitter all dedicated to Hollywood Heights. She's one of the few people who sent in lifesavers. Let's not forget that she's an amazing writer. So, lets just take a second to say thanks to Cassie for being one of our headstrong leaders. Thank you, Cassie(:_**

**_Shout-out: To Benna Banana._**

_Chapter Seven_

Loren had only been to therapy once, and she'd already decided she hated it.

Which was bad, because it was the main reason she was there.

"Hello, Loren," A tall, blonde woman with billowy hair and brown eyes cooed, too soft for Loren's liking, "Remember me? Staci?" Loren rolled her eyes a little.

"No, duh. I saw you yesterday," Loren retorted icily. Staci just smiled.

"And Ivy?" She asked, gesturing towards the woman with a black bob and electric blue eyes. Loren nodded, and they both wrote something on their clipboard.

"I take it you've found your razors now?" Ivy asked slowly. Loren nodded, not wanting to speak.

"Have you used them?" Loren shook her head. They both smiled and wrote something else on the clipboard.

"How about your eating?" Staci wanted to know. Loren shrugged.

"I ate half of my salad yesterday, and an apple," She said simply. Both Ivy and Staci smiled and wrote yet another thing on their clipboard.

"And your friends? Who are they?" Something told Loren that Ivy already knew the question she was asking, but answered anyway to avoid conflict.

"Melissa Sanders," She answered. Staci raised an eyebrow.

"Anyone else?" Loren debated something, before adding another name.

"Eddie Duran, I suppose," She said hesitantly. They both smiled and dove back into their clipboards, making Loren uncomfortable.

"How are you liking it here?" Loren shrugged at Ivy's question. They both looked at her for further explanation, but when none came, they took their notes and moved on.

"Do you miss home?" Staci asked. Again, Loren gave no thorough answer and only shrugged.

"What about your aunt?" Loren felt like she had been punched in the gut. She almost felt angry, even; how dare they even bring her up? But instead of letting this out, she shrugged again.

The therapy session went on for another hour, Staci and Ivy asking questions that seemed useless to Loren and writing it down on their clipboard. By the end of the session, Loren assumed that they had gone through at least twenty pieces of paper.

* * *

"I think I figured out your picture," A voice whispered in Loren's ear. She turned her head to see, none to her surprise, Eddie, with his cocky grin and all.

"Oh, yeah?" She asked. Eddie nodded.

"They're people you've lost," Eddie guessed. Loren felt like laughing because he sounded so sure yet was so wrong.

"Nope, sorry," She replied, turning into the cafeteria. Eddie groaned.

"I was up until midnight trying to figure this out, you know," He complained. Loren smiled a bit and grabbed a salad from the lunch line, making her way over to where Mel was sitting and Eddie still trailing her.

"Well, maybe you're looking to closely," Loren hinted. Eddie groaned again when Loren sat down. Melissa stared at Eddie, who was hovering over their table.

"Hello, there. Sorry for the disappointment, but, uh, we have no lunch money today. Come back tomorrow, though," Melissa said cheerfully with a smile. Eddie rolled his eyes and, to her surprise, took a seat next to Loren.

"Have you figured mine out yet?" Eddie asked Loren, who only shook her head. She popped open the container of her salad, and started picking at it as usual. Eddie studied her movements; how she'd pick up a piece of lettuce, raise it as if she were about to eat it, and then push her fork against the side of the plastic and have it fall back.

"You should really eat," Eddie said to Loren, who only cringed.

"I know," She admitted. On the other side of Loren, Melissa cleared her throat awkwardly.

"So, um, Loren. How's therapy going?" She asked. Loren laughed bitterly.

"Awful. Staci talks to me like I'm a two-year-old and all of Ivy's questions are way too personal," Loren replied. Melissa wrinkled her nose.

"I had Staci for a week or two. She's awful. Rose and Naomi are the best," She noted, taking a bite of her meal.

"I haven't met them yet," Loren said as she braced herself and ate a piece of lettuce.

"Well, you're about to meet Cameron, because he's over there watching you," Eddie told Loren, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. Loren spun around to see a tall, blonde man standing in a white doctors jacket on the other side of the room, watching her every move. She swallowed hard and took another bite of her salad.

"I like Cameron," Melissa stated. "He's cool." Eddie looked behind his shoulder to Cameron, and noticed the way he was looking at Loren. He couldn't place what it was, but he knew he didn't like it. At all.

"I don't." Eddie's voice was close to a growl as he turned back around.

"Why?" Melissa asked. He took one last quick glance over his shoulder, before looking at Loren and then back to the tab;e.

"Because," Eddie said, "He flirts with the patients too much."

**Oooooooh, jealousy is rising! :O Haha I hope you enjoyed, and please read, review, follow, and favourite :3 Oh, and don't forget that I love you!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Heyo sexual people! Sorry for the delay, I've been busy. Now, off to the races!**

_**Song to listen to: Battle Scars by Lupe Fiasco and Guy Sebastian**_

_**Dedication: To tricelander, for taking a chance on my story and leaving the most lovely review :3 Thank you!**_

_**Shout-out: To ma amie, Benna Banana(:**_

_Chapter Eight_

The thought of therapy alone made Eddie wince. He hated nearly every therapist there. They all made him feel worse about himself, even though they weren't allowed to show opinions. He still felt like he was being judged.

As he walked into the white therapy room, he noticed someone new sitting in a chair. The woman was in her twenties, not much older than he was if not the same age. Her synthetic red curls were tied up in a pony tail, contrasting perfectly against her pale skin.

"Hello," She said warmly, "Take a seat." Eddie did as told, plopping down on the white couch. "My name is Dr. Malcomes, but you can call me Devyn or Devi. It's entirely up to you. My main goal here is to make you feel understood. I want you to know, Eddie, that I do understand. Got it?"

"Where's Dr. Narvic?" Eddie asked, ignoring her question. Dr. Malcomes grimaced.

"Dr. Narvic was in a car crash, and I'll be replacing her for a while. Luckily, she wrote down what she already knows about you and possible questions for me to ask." Eddie couldn't say he would miss the old hag. She was too overbearing, yet at the same time used a tone as sweet as honey.

"Okay, then. Ask questions so I can get to art." Dr. Malcomes raised an eyebrow.

"Why so anxious to get to art?" She asked him. He looked at the ground.

"I just like art," He said lamely, "And I want to be there before it's full." Dr. Malcomes smiled.

"Is there someone you want to see, Eddie?" Eddie shot her a look, surprised she could read him so well. He scowled.

"No."

"I have a hard time believing you, Mr. Duran. Tell me. Who is it?" Eddie sighed and shook his head. He didn't know why he was so desperate to get to art. Well, actually, he did.

He was dying to see Loren.

"This.. person," Eddie said. Dr. Malcomes laughed.

"A little more descriptive?" She hinted. Eddie groaned.

"A.. girl," He managed, but Dr. Malcomes wasn't about to stop.

"Which girl?" Eddie groaned again in frustration.

"You.. you don't know her," He replied half-heartedly. Dr. Malcomes laughed once more, this time a little louder.

"And who are you to say that?"

"Because she has different therapists," He replied. Dr. Malcomes eyed Eddie suspiciously.

"What's she in for?" She asked him, only to earn a sigh.

"I don't know. She won't tell me the whole truth. All I know is that she hardly eats. Ever." Dr. Malcomes pursed her lips.

"The only anorexic patients I know of are too old for you. She must have something else," Dr. Malcomes told him. Eddie looked up at her in shock.

"Two reasons?" Eddie asked flatly. She nodded.

"The other must be more dominant as well because otherwise I'd know of her. Most of the solely anorexic patients go to Harbor View to get treated for eating disorders. Whatever else she has, it's the reason she's here and not there." Eddie swallowed the lump in his throat. He was dying to know what was going on with Loren- not out of curiosity, but something else completely.

"Loren," Eddie said suddenly. "Her name is Loren Tate." Dr. Malcomes didn't look surprised. She smiled kindly at Eddie, but almost in a sad way.

"Eddie, Loren has a lot more troubles than you think," Dr. Malcomes informed Eddie. He leaned forward on his knees, propping himself up with his elbows.

"Tell me," He nearly demanded. Dr. Malcomes only shook her head.

"I can't. It's a rule. But I will tell you as much as I can." Eddie waited, listening for what she had to say.

"She always wears a jacket, correct?" Eddie nodded.

"Did you ever think, why?" She asked. Eddie shook his head.

"No, I know why. She's always cold," Eddie informed her. Dr. Malcomes winked.

"Think about it."

* * *

Eddie made it to art on time by the skin of his teeth.

Loren sat, alone, in the back, with Melissa perched in a chair in front of her. The two were chatting about something Eddie couldn't hear from across the room. Eddie made his way across the art room, ignoring the stares he earned, and sat down next to Loren.

"Hey, look what the therapist dragged in!" Melissa exclaimed sarcastically. Eddie rolled his eyes.

"I came here by my own free will, Melissa."

"Oh, they gave you that privilege back?" Eddie sighed, but only out of annoyance.

"Melissa, will you shut up?" Eddie groaned. Melissa took it into consideration, but then shook her head.

"Nah, this is much more fun," She decided. Loren was stifling a laugh, using her hands, which here hidden by her jacket sleeves, to cover her mouth. Suddenly, Eddie remembered what Dr. Malcomes said.

"Why do you always wear a jacket?" Eddie asked. For Loren, this seemed out-of-the-blue. She knew perfectly well the answer; both of them, actually. But instead of saying, she shrugged.

"I get cold, I guess," She replied. Eddie eyed her suspiciously.

"All the time? Loren, I've known you for a month and a half yet I've never seen you in anything but a sweatshirt."

"I have to agree with the dungball, Lo; you always wear that thing. Even to sleep." Loren was starting to get irritated with their onslaught of questions she was afraid to answer.

"Because maybe I like sweaters. Lay off," She snapped. Eddie knew there was something Loren wasn't telling him, but turned to Melissa instead of arguing.

"And really, Melissa? Dungball? What are we, kindergartener?" Melissa shrugged.

"I don't know, but one of us sure acts like it." Eddie laughed and looked at Melissa.

"Damn, you're one messed-up kindergartener." Melissa laughed a little, too. Loren, however, didn't crack a smile. She was still consumed in her thoughts. Did Eddie know something? Did he finally figure out her secret, her second diagnosis? She couldn't bring herself to show either of them even a trace of her scars. She gave Eddie the picture, but she doubted he's figure it out.

And if he did, she knew she wouldn't be prepared.

**Dun dun duuuuuuuuun! Well, I hope you enjoyed, sorry for the shortness, and please review, fave, and follow!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Herro! I think the time has come for a new chapter! Oh, and I forgot a disclaimer last chap, so I'll do two this one :3**

_**Song to listen to: Beauty From Pain by Superchick**_

_**Disclaimer: I own a right shoe, a left shoe, a phone, nail polish, and a South Park plushie, but I do not own Hollywood Heights.**_

_**Disclaimer: ^^^ What that said.**_

_**Dedication: To MeggyBoo92, for your sweet review. Although you were wrong about my drawing skills, it was still a very nice thing to say :3**_

_**Shout-Out: To bright-eyed-owl, for your kindness to review on almost every chapter.**_

_Chapter Nine_

"So, you've been spending a lot of time with Eddie," Melissa noted. Loren and Mel were on their way to lunch, working their way down the nearly empty white halls. Loren rolled her eyes.

"No more than you have," She retorted. Melissa made a noise of disgust.

"Ugh. Don't even associate me with him." Loren sighed.

"I don't see how you hate him so much," She said. Melissa stopped at a halt and gripped Loren's shoulders, turning them to her.

"Loren, listen to me. That guy is trouble with a capital asshole. I don't trust him. And neither should you. Are you forgetting that he killed someone?" Melissa asked. Loren dropped her gaze to her feet.

"Maybe there's more to the story..." Loren suggested half-heartedly. Melissa only shook her head.

"Loren, when you're here, there is no more to the story."

"Maybe not to yours."

"Why are you standing up for this guy?" Melissa nearly shouted, sounding slightly hurt at Loren's words. "He's been nothing but cruel to you." Loren groaned and the two continued walking.

"I don't know," She moaned. "I really, really don't know."

"Well, it might be a good idea to figure it out," Melissa told Loren forcefully.

* * *

Eddie stared intently at the picture. This was the only clue he had to figuring Loren out, and it was pretty vague. He observed the lines carefully, trying to decipher each and every one. He noticed how some of them were darker than others, and he wondered if the lines represented people she's lost and the darker ones were the ones with the most impact. But it still didn't fit. He had a feeling that all of Loren's problems tied into each other, all going back to one source.

He gently lifted his fingers and traced the lines. If only he could find away to work it out of Loren rather than having to figure this impossible thing out. He didn't know why he was so desperate to understand what was wrong with Loren. He'd never taken such an interest in anyone, ever. Yet somehow, this girl had affected him. And he'd only known her for a month and a half.

But, whatever it was, he was determined to find out. No matter what.

* * *

"What's in there?" Loren's voice rang across the silent hallway as Melissa and Loren approached a door Loren had never seen. Melissa sighed.

"It's therapy for some people. Creeps me out. There are kids toys and paper on the wall for when people write on it. You can go in, if you want; they encourage you to. Says it helps whatever." Loren hesitantly reached out her hand to the doorknob, out of curiosity more than anything. The door was silent when it opened, unlike the rest of the doors in the building.

Inside, it was like a preschool filled with middle-aged people. A woman was hastily crocheting something, her hands moving quickly. A man scribbled words on the wall, often combined together to make nonsense. Loren immediately sensed an eerie feeling in the room.

But she didn't lose it until she saw the Barbie.

It was just kind of there, sitting in the middle of the room. Someone must have became bored with it by playing. After her parents death, Loren made sure to stray away from Barbie's in general. They tied to a very devastating memory of hers, and she couldn't handle it. But this Barbie was different. It had long, blonde hair and a butterfly t-shirt and jeans.

This Barbie was exactly like the one Loren's mother was playing with right before she was shot.

Loren could feel her heart racing in her chest. Under most circumstances, she would be rational and not let a silly toy bring her to this. But not with this. She couldn't even think straight, and was using everything she had to keep calm.

"I'll be right back, I'm going to go... um, do something," Loren said quickly to a very confused Melissa.

"What?" She asked. Loren shook her head and started tapping her foot.

"I'll meet you in the cafeteria." Melissa only had time to nod before Loren was gone.

Loren was practically sprinting to her room, which was difficult since she was shaking so hard. The hallways seemed to stretch forever, up until she reached the blue door of her room.

Her trembling hands had difficulty with the door handle. It took her several times until she finally got it to swing open, slamming it behind her and rushing to her bedside. She knelt cautiously and lifted up her pillow. The bag of razor blades sat idly underneath, untouched since the day she got them back. Part of her told her no, but the longing for the pain to go away was far too much.

Loren took out a blade, the familiar feeling giving her chills.

And, without hesitation, she slid the sharp metal across her wrist.

* * *

"Have you seen Loren?" Eddie asked Melissa, sliding next to her at the lunch table. Melissa racked her brain for a witty comeback, but ended up shaking her head.

"No, I think she went back to our room to get something. Why?" She replied. Eddie walked off immediately, leaving Melissa confused yet again.

"And I thought I was crazy," She muttered, taking a bite of her nachos.

**Ooooooh, what do you think? Do you like? Do you hate? Please let me know by reviewing! Also, sorry for the linebreak-y-ness. I didn't intend it, I just wanted to show what was going on at several points in time. Love you much! Xoxo**


	10. Chapter 10

**So.. apperently Loren and Eddie are at Hogwarts so they can bang. Just kidding. Ally wishes. Tate just wished they were at Hogwarts. Because they can't bang with Melissa ten feet away or therapists down the hall. Sigh. These Tumblr conversations are totes hilar.**

**I'm just kidding, by the way. They're not at Hogwarts.**

**Although that would be a kick-ass crossover.**

**Ally?**

_***Note: This will be a bit graphic. Please no hate. I have a dark mind. But not as dark as some people. And this is rated T for a reason.***_

_**Song to listen to: I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab for Cutie**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Hollywood Heights**_

_**Dedication: To Ally, for making me roll on the floor laughing and being so persistent about Leddie banging.**_

_**Shout-out: To , for their kind review(:**_

_Chapter Ten_

Loren's mind was at a peaceful blank. All she could register was the searing pain on her wrists, but it blocked out the pain on the inside. She slid it across the scarred skin again and again, until the red was dripping onto the floor. Loren hadn't bothered to turn the light on, so the room was dim all except for the little bit of light that slipped through the window on the door. She was comforted by the familiar feeling, and couldn't register the guilt yet. After one of her episodes, she always felt a bit of remorse. But in the end, it was worth it.

"Loren," A voice called. But she didn't hear. She couldn't hear anything, not even the door open and a gasp.

"Holy shit," Someone said. Loren didn't look up, but she heard this time. It was all it took for her to start shaking and hyperventilating. This didn't always happen. It has never been as bad as it was now, because this was the first time she had been caught.

Eddie gently shut the door behind him as he walked into the room. Loren had never looked so small and broken. She took a few shaky breaths and started again, much to Eddie's surprise. He could tell that Loren didn't notice him. She was too far in her own world.

Eddie had never wanted to figure her out more than now.

"Loren," He murmured, slowly approaching her. She still didn't look up, but pulled the blade away from her skin for a second. She wasn't crying. Eddie could only imagine that she was in pain, internally and externally. She was different than the girl he sat next to in art. This was a completely different girl, a fragile, broken girl Eddie didn't recognize.

"I told you I was broken," She muttered, her voice cracking and ragged. Eddie knelt next to her and took the blade carefully from her shaking hand, setting it next to himself.

"You're not broken," He replied softly. Loren was shaking so hard by now some people might think it was spasms.

"I'm unfixable," She continued, as if she hadn't heard him. She was in a trance. She was ill and Eddie could tell more now than ever. "He should've shot me then..." Her voice trailed off. Eddie shook his head rapidly. He didn't know who she was talking about, but whoever wanted to hurt Loren was now number one on Eddie's hit list.

"No, don't say that. You're not broken," He whispered so softly he wasn't sure if Loren could hear. But she did, and looked up at Eddie for the first time. Her eyes were filled with tears and hurt, and Eddie felt a pang in his chest.

"Why are you here?" She asked, her voice as quiet as his was before. Eddie didn't break eye contact with her.

"Because I figured out the picture," He said. Loren laughed humorlessly, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I figured." In a quick series of movement's Eddie could hardly register, Loren was hugging him. It wasn't the type of contact he was used to. Whenever someone touched him, he usually threw a death punch and the person would hit him back. But the thought of hurting Loren made him sick. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close, surprised by just how small and skinny she actually was. He knew she was thin, but she was always in a baggy sweatshirt. She leaned her head into the crook of his neck, and Eddie could feel tears on his skin.

"I've got you, Lo," He whispered into her ear. "I've got you." Loren wasn't sobbing, but she was shaking so violently that even if she was Eddie didn't know if he would be able to tell.

"Thank you," She breathed.

**Okay, so, short chapter, but come on. Look at that Leddie! Look at it! LOOK AT IT! Does it make up for the shortness? Please tell me it does. Oddly enough, I liked writing this. I bet some of you are a little curious about Eddie's past now. Because I know I would be. Of course, I already know ;) Please review, favourite, and follow! Let me know your thoughts! Also, feel free to PM me any questions you might have, because I personally hate it when I don't understand something about a story. Love you all!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Herro there, you fine creatures! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and hopefully you'll like this one too! Thank you for all the feedback through reviews and PMs, it means so much to me. Love you all! Also, I hope the last chapter wasn't too graphic. I didn't think it was, but, y'know, everyone is different :3 if you thought it was, my apologies. Also, I got a ton of requests asking for Leddie to bang in this story. Why this one is beyond me, but I will think about it... But please keep in mind that I want their relationship to grow before there is penetration. I hope you understand(:**

**I bet Ally loves me now.**

**She better. **

**_Song to listen to: Kingdom Come by The Civil Wars_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Hollywood Heights_**

**_Dedication: BY FAR to Leddielover2016. She is so kind and has some AMAZING stories! Be sure to check out Demons; it's so incredible. Like, feels man._**

**_Shout-out: To Coleegirl, for her advice on my new upcoming story ;)_**

_Chapter Eleven_

Loren woke up in the morning, dreading the day. The room was still dark, because Melissa was still sleeping and hadn't woken up yet. Gently, Loren rolled up her sleeves and felt the soft, scarred skin. She cursed silently when she felt the slightly raised, hot lines. She tugged her sleeve back down, realizing in horror what also happened.

Eddie found her.

"Shit," Loren muttered aloud, "Shit, shit, shit." She knew she couldn't hide it forever, but God she hoped so.

"Loren, shut up," Melissa slurred from the other side of the room. Under most circumstances, Loren would've smiled or even laughed. But today, all she could think about is how Eddie must've thought of her. He must've thought that she was weird and freaky.

Loren blew one friendship, all because she saw a Barbie.

"Sorry," Loren whispered back. Melissa grumbled something incoherent and was back to snoring in minutes. Loren rolled onto her stomach, biting her lip to keep from screaming out of frustration. She couldn't seem to get a break. She realized, in a moment of terror, that Eddie would probably tell Melissa, and then Melissa would never talk to her again, either. Her stay here would be twice as miserable.

Loren lay on her stomach for what must've been an hour, repeating the words in her mind and trying to remember what happened with Eddie. She remembered him hugging her, and it feeling impossibly, incredibly good and right, but she figured it was her imagination. He probably saw her and she passed out or something.

"Loren, wake up," Melissa uttered from across the room. Loren rolled her eyes.

"I've been awake, Mel."

"Oh. Mel, get up," Melissa grumbled to herself. Loren laughed. Whenever Melissa was tired, she always sounded high or something.

Loren realized in horror that, if Eddie did tell Melissa, that would probably be the last time Melissa would talk to her.

* * *

Loren had never been one for breakfast.

Even when she was little and healthy, breakfast was unappetizing to her. She opted for an incredibly weak cup of coffee, although her first choise would've been tea. Melissa had a bowl of Frosted Flakes, and was happily eating it.

"So, Loren. What did Eddie say?" Melissa asked. Loren jumped, and was suddenly panicking. Did Melissa somehow know? Did she see?

"Wh-what?" Loren stuttered, deciding to play dumb. Melissa looked at Loren like she just grew another head.

"He was looking for you last night. What did he say?" Loren relaxed immediately.

"Oh... um, he came to tell me that he figured out my picture." Melissa gasped dramatically.

"What? I had no idea that he was smart enough to figure that one out!" She exclaimed. Loren didn't respond and look a long sip of her coffee.

"Hey," A voice said from behind. Loren tensed and almost choked on her coffee. Eddie strolled up to them casually, sitting directly across from Loren.

"Alfalfa," Melissa replied. Eddie looked at her strangely.

"What?"

"Oh, I thought we were naming things barnyard animals ate. My bad. Didn't mean to offend your people."

"Are you suggesting I'm an animal or a farmer?" Melissa shrugged.

"Whichever offends you more." Eddie rolled his eyes, and looked at Loren, who was staring contently at her cup. She had never looked so fragile to him. All he could see was the devastating girl with a razor blade in hand. The girl who wrapped her hands so tightly around him he wasn't sure he could breathe but he hugged her back anyways because it felt so right.

Eddie didn't know what he felt for Loren before. But now, whatever it was, it had increased by billions.

"Hey, Loren," He said softly. Loren looked up at him cautiously and offered a small wave.

"She's quiet this morning," Melissa pointed out. "No clue why." Eddie did, though. Eddie knew exactly why. And he wanted to talk about it desperately, but didn't want to push. For some reason, after finding out Loren's other secret, he wanted to know every single one of them.

"I see," Eddie muttered. Loren met his eyes for a split-second, but then dropped her gaze quickly.

"Uh, there's a little awkwardness here. Care to tell me what happened?" Melissa asked. Both Loren and Eddie shot her a glare.

"Nothing happened," Loren told her. Melissa looked between them, before dipping her spoon into the bowl and popping the cereal into her mouth.

"You two are weird."

**Soooo... there's a little awkwardness, eh? What did you think? Please let me know by reviewing or PMing, oh, and please fave and follow! I love you all :3 Also, I'm in need of a beta. If you are interested, please PM me! I will love you forever! It would seriously mean a lot to me *insert heart here***


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! So, I've been getting a lot of complaints about short chapters. I've said this multiple times, but I don't have time to write fifty thousand words in one day unless you want it to be really shitty. I try to update every day, which is tricky as it is. So, it takes me about two to three hours to write one chapter, and a half and hour to edit it, so basically about three and a half hours goes into every chapter. I'm sorry if you find them too short, but I have a life and school and my parents make me shut off all electronics at seven thirty. So, yeah. The chapters are short. But can you please stop giving me crap about it? I'm trying my hardest to make them longer. Sorry for the wait, by the way. I've been insanely busy reading the Caster Chronicles.**

**_Song to listen to: Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift feat. the Civil Wars_**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Hollywood Heights_**

**_Dedication: To ella inchanted, for always taking the time to read(: Love you girly!_**

**_Shout-out: To Ed Sheeran, for being the leader of my Ginger army._**

_Chapter Twelve_

Telling the therapists was the hardest part for Loren.

Every day, they asked if she cut. Her regular answer was 'no', because it was the truth. But Loren was the worst liar on the planet, so she really had no other option.

"So, Loren," Ivy said slowly, making Loren even more irritated.

"Yes?" She replied, in the same tone. Ivy smiled.

"Have you been staying away from those blades?" Staci asked with a big, phony smile. Loren swallowed hard.

"I, ehm..." Loren said, awkwardly shifting in her chair. Staci's smile faltered, but she gave her a knowing look.

"It's okay, darling. We understand. But, you know the rules," She replied. Loren raised an eyebrow.

"I do?"

"You have to wear short sleeves until they heal," Ivy told her, matter-of-factly. Loren's jaw dropped.

"W-what? I'll get cold!" Staci shrugged.

"Should've thought of that before, darling." Loren felt like screaming and pounding Staci's face in. But, instead, she settled for mumbling, "Bitch" under her breath and continued with her therapy session.

* * *

Five minutes into it, and Loren knew she wasn't going to survive two to three weeks like this. For one, her wrists were crossed so hard over her stomach she thought she might leave bruises. And she already had goosebumps springing up over her tan, scarred arms.

"Hey, Lo. Never seen you in short sleeves," Melissa commented as Loren walked out of the bathroom from changing. Loren dug her wrists deeper into her gut and shrugged.

"Let's just say Staci is a bitch," Loren mumbled. Melissa almost laughed, but stopped herself.

"No, really? I hadn't noticed," She replied sarcastically. Loren shot her a glare and perched herself on the foot of her own bed.

"Shut up." This time, Melissa couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Are you ready to go to breakfast?" Loren winced at Mel's question. Breakfast meant seeing Eddie. Seeing Eddie meant questions. Questions meant answers. Answers meant one less friend.

"Um, do we have to?" Melissa looked at Loren like she had just layed an egg.

"Yes, yes we do. Get your lazy ass up so we can go." Loren groaned, but complied.

Hiding it from Melissa was going to be a challenge.

* * *

The second Eddie saw Loren, he knew something was wrong.

For one, she was in short sleeves. Loren had never worn short sleeves, not in the time he'd known her. She was always buried in a sweatshirt or long sleeves. He was the only one who knew why, besides her therapists. And he was worried about her, because he knew she'd never show her scars.

"Are you okay?" He asked instinctively as Loren and Mel sat at his table.

"I'm fine, thanks. Why do you ask?" Melissa replied. Eddie looked at her with an annoyed expression.

"I was talking to Loren, doofus." Melissa blushed and looked at her breakfast burrito.

"Oh," She uttered.

"I'm okay," Loren told Eddie as she began staring blankly at her unopened plastic salad box. Eddie wondered if she ever got tired of the bare lettuce for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"Alright," Eddie said, even though he didn't believe it. He started eating his eggs and the three were silent for a while, up until Ian came around and plopped his tray next to Eddie's loudly, making Loren jump.

"Hey, mate! And.. others.." Ian nearly shouted. Melissa cringed.

"Oh, god. Now we have both Thing One and Thing Two in our hair. Lord help us," Melissa muttered. Ian shot her a glare as Loren looked awkwardly at her food. Eddie stared, expressionless, at his best friend who he had barely talked to since he'd became friends with Loren.

"Last time I checked, the Lord doesn't help Satan herself," Ian retorted. Melissa stuck out her tongue and took a bite of her food, "And I don't believe we've met, Salad-At-Nine-AM Girl." Loren looked up at him momentarily, then dropped her gaze back down to her salad.

"My name is Loren," She muttered. She didn't dare lift her left wrist to open her salad, in fear someone will see the bright red scabs.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Ian." Loren nodded in his direction, but didn't say anything more.

"So, Ian, where's the Wicked Witch of the West Wing?" Melissa asked. Ian cringed. Melissa was referring to Georgia Malden, who was considered the queen of the west wing of the hospital. Georgia followed Ian everywhere. It was pretty clear she had a crush on him, and Melissa was thrilled that she could use it against him.

"I don't know, probably with Ashley," Ian said flatly. Melissa grinned.

"Oh, the Blonde Bitch? Yeah, not a fan of her either," Melissa replied innocently. Eddie rolled his eyes at them and looked to Loren, who was still staring at her unopened salad.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked her, his voice dropping low so the arguing Melissa and Ian wouldn't hear. Loren nodded and Eddie got up, gesturing for her to follow him out of the room. Loren frowned.

She was right about the questions.

**Ooooh, what does Eddie have to say? Don't you want to know :P Please review, fave, and follow! Always remember that I lurve you all! :3**


	13. Chapter 13

**Yo.**

**_Song to listen to: She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

**_Dedication: To the one and only Ally_**

**_Shout-out: YOU!_**

_Chapter Thirteen_

Loren wouldn't have admitted her hands were shaking.

She almost didn't want to know what Eddie was going to say to her. All she did know was that this was not going to end well.

Eddie and Loren wandered down the near vacant halls for three minutes, both of them not daring to say a word. When Eddie finally stopped, he turned into a dark room only three doors down from the one Loren and Melissa shared. She knew where Eddie had brought her. They were going into Eddie's room.

* * *

"Hey, Ian!" Melissa winced at the high-pitched, southern-accented voice that burned her ears and made bile rise in her throat.

Georgia Malden - curls, blue eyes and all- sat right across from Melissa, setting her corn flakes in front of her. Her tall, skinny frame stood over the sitting Ian like a ghost. Her features were damaged, yet still beautiful. Melissa would never admit it, but part of her envied Georgia. She looked at Melissa and cringed.

"Melissa." Georgia's voice was like ice.

"Satan," Melissa replied flatly. Georgia rolled her eyes and flipped her blonde locks over her left shoulder, turning to Ian.

"How are you today?" She asked flirtatiously. Ian cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I, uh, I'm fine," He stuttered. Melissa stifled a laugh and took a bite of her breakfast burrito. Nothing went over Georgia's head, though. She glared at Melissa, her head moving so fast to turn her direction Mel thought she may have been in the Exorcist or something.

"Don't eat burritos. They make you fat," Georgia told Melissa, who wrinkled her nose.

"If I cared about being fat, I'd be in here for a completely different reason," Melissa reminded her nonchalantly. Georgia rolled her eyes and turned back to Ian.

"Anyways, have you seen that one new anorexic girl?" She asked.

"I'd hardly call her new. She's been here for months now, Georgia," Ian reminded her. Georgia rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Everyone tells me she's a freak." Melissa felt more offended than Loren would've.

"She's not. She's troubled, Georgia," Melissa retorted. Georgia opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut immediately.

"Oh. My. God. They let the Creepy Clan back in." The only people, or person rather, Geogia was afraid of in the world entered the lunch room casually, her friends trailing behind her. Ally Michaels was no more than five feet two inches tall, with long black hair cascading over her shoulders. Behind her, a small Ginger girl was walking hand-in-hand with a blonde girl, one of her friends, Shea. People called them 'the Double Doozey'. They never left each others sides. Most people considered the Ginger Girl a basket case, one of the finest in the hospital. No one knew the Ginger girls name, because she never talked to anyone outside of her clan. However, she always whispered something in Shea's ear and Shea would tell whoever she was talking to. If they were outside of the clan. She was fairly normal at first glance, except for the occasional random bird call.

They were considered the saddest stories in the hospital, because neither of them were even old enough to drive.

Almost immediately, Ally noticed Georgia. She smiled. Not maliciously, but not nicely. She whispered something to Shea and Ginger Girl and the three of them walked over to their table.

"Hi, Melissa," Shea said to Mel. Melissa smiled at her. Melissa had always liked Shea, even though sometimes she cried over only thinking about how horrible it was that such a small girl was stuck here.

"Hey, Shea," Melissa replied. The Ginger Girl leaned over and whispered something in Shea's ear.

"She says hi, too." Melissa took a look at the Ginger Girl. She was the smallest of the three of them, although Ally was the youngest at only eleven. Melissa smiled sadly.

"Hello." Her voice came out a whisper. Shea, Ally, and the Ginger Girl were the most tragic part of this place.

"Hey, Georgia," Ally said with a grin. Georgia cringed, but brushed it off.

"And hello to you too, Peewee. How can I help you? Need your milk money?" Georgia replied coldly. Ally's smile only got wider.

"I'm sure you'd have plenty of money from the poles, now wouldn't you?" Melissa couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, followed by Shea and even a small giggle from Ginger Girl.

"You sure are young to have a filthy mouth like that, missy!" Georgia exclaimed. Ally laughed.

"I'm not the one with a dirty mouth here, if you know what I mean," Ally replied, plucking a piece of pineapple from the Ginger Girls platter.

"Go play with your Barbies, little girl." Ally's smile dropped. She leaned across the table, and whispered so quietly in Georgia's ear only she could hear: "I used to play with Barbies. I liked ripping their heads off and torturing them until I could swear I heard little, perfect screams coming from their plastic mouths. Lucky for me, I found a human test subject for that. Tell me, what size straight jacket do you wear?"

Ally sat back and casually ate her food while Georgia stared at her in shock.

* * *

"Why did you want to talk?" Loren tried to hide the fear in her voice while she pressed her wrist deeper into her stomach. She was sitting awkwardly on the foot of Eddie's bed, while he sat in a chair in the corner. Eddie sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I didn't think you'd be wearing short sleeves, after what happened," Eddie finally said. Loren shot daggers at him with her glare.

"Yeah, well, newsflash. It's not the first time it's happened. You don't need to be so dramatic," Loren retorted. Eddie looked up at her, surprised. Loren's hard stare softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's okay." Eddie forgave her before she even finished. Normally, if anyone snapped at him like that, they'd have a black eye or broken bone in seconds. But something about Loren was different. Her delicate features, her too-thin frame.

The scars he could clearly see on her arms.

How no one noticed was a mystery to him. There were at least three hundred on each- small, white lines that nearly blended in with her complection. Eddie wondered if he would've noticed them if he hadn't found her that night.

Loren sighed. "Staci made me. I told her."

"Well, why the hell would you do that?" Loren shrugged.

"I'm here to get better, and the only way I can do that is if I listen to them," She replied. Eddie made a 'tsk' noise.

"Trusting them won't get you anywhere, Lo," He said. Loren looked at him oddly.

"Listening to them will get you out." Eddie shook his head.

"Doubt it."

"Maybe you should trust them. Or anyone for that matter." He looked up at Loren, who now had both arms rested on her legs for the first time. Eddie could see them now. They were regular scabs, except for in perfect, straight, thin lines. There were at least thirty fresh ones, piled on top of old ones.

Eddie could see it now.

Loren was broken. And she had been for a long time.

Slowly, as if he were approaching a wild animal and he was afraid it would run, he approached her. He knelt right in front of her, and for the first time the two were eye-to-eye.

"What happened, Loren?" Eddie whispered. Loren looked down at her lap and bit her lip. Cautiously, Eddie reached up a hand and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear that had fallen in her face. Gently, he traced the pads of his fingers along her jaw line until he reached her chin, and tilted her face upwards so they were looking into each others eyes. Eddie had never been so gentle with anyone in his life. Something about Loren made Eddie think to treat her as if she were some very fragile doll.

"It was a long time ago," Loren murmured. She couldn't make herself go farther. Never, not once, had she spoken about her parents. So, she opted for Damien. Yet another tragic story in her life, but it would be less painful. It would still hurt like hell, though. "My only friend was named Damien. He was smart. He was nice. He made me laugh," Loren bit her lip. "He was troubled. I was troubled. We were instant best friends, since the third grade. We did everything together.

"Then, freshman year, he started to change. He started hanging out with the wrong people, going to the wrong places. The Damien I knew grew farther and farther away from me. He started doing crack and all sorts of things. He knew how much I hated it. He'd say he was sorry. But not sorry enough to quit. I didn't even know where he got the money.

"It was a Thursday in April. I was reading Catcher in the Rye for the thousandth time, listening to some song on the radio. I got a phone call. I never got phone calls, so this was weird. It was Damien. He was high, on god knows what. It was... a booty call, you could say. He said some things about how he wanted to screw me so hard I would see stars, and how I should get my ass over there. I remember my words exactly. I said, "What the fuck is wrong with you," and then I hung up.

"I got another call, about a half an hour later, and didn't pick up. I didn't care what he had to say, apology or not. I was angry and upset. Three hours after that, I got another one. I was almost hesitant to answer, but I didn't want him to keep calling so I picked up. It was Damien's mom. She asked what was my problem, how could I be so cruel. She was crying. I asked her what I did, and she told me to go over there. I did. When I got there, the house was surrounded by police cars and an ambulance. There was a body bag on a stretcher. I saw it go in just as I arrived. His mom was crying on the porch step, his dads arms were wrapped around her. It didn't take me long to realize. Damien was dead. There were no assumptions. It was fact. I turned around as soon as I saw the body go in the ambulance. I didn't cry, not yet. I couldn't feel my heartbeat, I couldn't hear my thoughts. I felt like I was invisible. I wished I was invisible.

"It was dark by the time I got home. Of corse, Auntie Nora had heard already. She hugged me tightly, but I couldn't feel it. All I felt was nothingness. I wanted some time alone. So, I went back to my room and shut the door. I sat on my bed and did nothing for at least an hour. I thought nothing. I felt nothing. I heard nothing, until my phone buzzed. I looked over, and it said I had one new voicemail. I set it on speaker. It was from the second call I got, from Damien.

"'Hey, Lo,' He had said, 'I'm so sorry. About what I said. I know I offended you. I was stoned. I think I still am. Not quite too sure. Anyways, I am so sorry. I just... I don't want to lose you. I know I've put you through some serious shit recently, and I am so sorry. It was a really bad way of telling you I loved you. Not just like a friend. But now I realize you deserve someone better. Someone so, so much better. I'm going to do something tonight, and know it's for you. So you won't have to put up with me anymore. So I won't have to put up with me anymore.' And then he hung up. Just like that. I made my best friend commit suicide, because I'm some stupid prude who couldn't tell he was stoned. He died because of me. And it felt like the only way to make us even was to grab a razor blade." As Loren finished her story, Eddie had found himself holding both of her hands. She was squeezing so tight almost hurt, but he knew she was hurting so much more.

"I'm sorry," Eddie whispered. There was nothing else he could say. He could only imagine how hard it must've been, to watch her best friend wash himself away like that. Loren gave him a small smile that made his chest tighten.

"It was a long time ago," Loren repeated what she said before she even started telling the story. Eddie ran his fingers through her hair.

"Time has no effect on feelings, Loren," He said. Eddie leaned a bit closer and studied her face. Beneath the smile, which she was trying hard to make look happy, he could see sadness and pain. Something she masked well.

He leaned closer. Their noses grazed a bit. He could see, in her chocolate eyes, bits of gold. They were the prettiest eyes he'd ever seen.

Closer. Their lips were almost touching. The room was silent, all except for Loren's nervous breathing. Eddie could feel her heart beating, and she was as stiff as a board. But she didn't pull back.

And then, his lips grazed hers.

**SQUEEEEEEEEEE! I KNOW YOU LOVE ME NOW, DON'T YA? DON'T YA? IF YOU WANT MORE LEDDIE THEN PLEASE REVIEW AND LEMME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS! LOVE YOU ALL MUCH!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hai there(: Thank you all so much for the feedback on this story! Gahhhh I love you all too much. So, some people think that chapter thirteen was the last chapter. It most certainly wasn't! It's just getting started bbys(: We have about twenty chapters to go. Haha you're gonna get sick of me :P Sorry this is shorter than the last one, it is still longer than most the chapters doe. I'm improving, right? I really care about what you guys think. I'm trying to listen(:**

**_Song to listen to: Breathe by He is We_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nada_**

**_Dedication: To the AMAZING marirosa1979! ASDFGHJKL; YOU ARE TOO GOOD TO ME GIRL! I love youuu!_**

**_Shout-out: To everyone who reviewed! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH I WISH WE COULD ALL MEET AND I COULD HUG EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!_**

_Chapter Fourteen_

Melissa was already enjoying Ally's company.

Ally was a genius when it came to comebacks. Every word that flew out of her mouth insulted Georgia in one way or another, and Melissa couldn't have been more amused.

"Excuse me, I won Little Miss Dallas five times in a row!" Georgia was almost yelling at Ally, who just had a smug look on her face.

"You probably slept with the directors," Ally replied. Georgia's jaw dropped and she let out a large gasp.

"I was seven!"

"So?" Shea shot Ally a dirty look, and then looked back to the Ginger Girl. "Sorry."

"Maybe I should tell your mama about your filthy language!" Ally only rolled her eyes.

"We're in a mental hospital. Good luck with that one." Georgia was fuming, Melissa was laughing, Shea and the Ginger Girl were whispering, Ian looked awkward, and Ally had the same smug look on her face. Melissa realised in horror that they were the epitome of patients at a mental hospital.

But that wasn't so bad, in her opinion.

* * *

Loren's brain went on autopilot.

Loren had never been kissed, which wasn't much of a surprise. So, when Eddie brushed his lips against hers, she had no idea what to do. Sure, she had seen movies, but they don't give tutorials. Was kissing an instinct kind of thing? Or was it a 'practice makes perfect' type? Loren didn't know, but either way, she felt butterflies.

The kiss lasted for less than a second, but it was enough to make Loren want more. She was breathing heavily, because she'd been so nervous. Eddie looked at her, almost questioningly. Every piece of Loren told her to walk away so her mind could process what just happened. But instead, she did the opposite of what she knew would've been best.

She kissed him again.

This time, it lasted longer than a second. Eddie carefully placed his hands on her back, pulling her towards him, and Loren's hands went behind his neck. He pushed her forward hesitantly, making sure to be gentle. He could feel Loren's heart racing against his, which he was pretty sure was racing as well. He'd never kissed anyone as gently before. Each kiss was as light as a feather, as if he were scared she would crack and break if he didn't.

"We should probably get back," Loren murmured, pulling away from the kiss. Her hands were still laced across the back of his neck. Eddie rubbed comforting circles in her back. All of this was new to him- the carefulness. He was used to one-night stands and half-assed relationships. Doing that to Loren made him want to throw up. Anyone else doing that to Loren made him want to kill someone.

"Melissa's going to kill us, if we wait any longer," Eddie agreed. Still, he didn't want to go. Kissing Loren was different than anything he had ever done. But a good different. Loren stood up, releasing herself from Eddie's loose grip. She twisted her shirt so it faced the right way. Instantly, she remembered the cuts on her arm and pressed her arms back to her stomach, blushing. She walked out of the room, closely followed by Eddie. Her mind was blank, and she was only able to process what had just happened.

She just kissed Eddie Duran. Eddie Duran, who was five years older than she was. Eddie Duran, who she had ran into in the hallways on her first day. Eddie Duran, who was the only person besides her therapists who even knew a part of her story. Eddie Duran, who she had been falling for and didn't even realize it. All of those butterflies made sense now. Loren was falling for Eddie.

Loren was so consumed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice they had reached the cafeteria. The walk seemed so much longer on the way there. Loren pushed open the heavy door and began walking in, only to stop when she saw four new people.

The first girl couldn't have been more than eleven. She was Asian, with the dark skin and long black hair. The next girl was blonde, with brown eyes only slightly lighter than her own. Next to her sat a redheaded girl, the smallest of them all. She was whispering something into the blonde's ear, her scared green eyes blinking rapidly. All three of them were just kids, and it made Loren sick that they were stuck here.

The last girl Loren noticed had big, billowy, long blonde curls and was taller than the entire table by about three inches. Her face was scarred and she had dark circles under her squinty blue eyes, standing out against her pasty skin. The girl reminded Loren of a hybrid between Miss America, a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, and Lindsay Lohan.

"Oh, god. Ally and Georgia in the same room? Bad call, therapists," Eddie muttered under his breath as the two approached the table. Loren couldn't help but feel awkward in front of the new people. Loren took a seat in between the Ginger Girl and Melissa, because Ian was already on the other side of her.

"Hello, sister-wife. You can call me Ally." The Asian girl said casually. Loren looked at her as if she had just grown another head, but didn't say anything. The Ginger Girl bent over and whispered something in the blondes ear.

"She says hi," The girl said with a smile. "I'm Shea, by the way. Ooh, that rhymed." Loren smiled a bit.

"Hello." She couldn't project her voice more than a whisper.

"Hi, I'm Georgia," The eldest new girl said. "You must be Boobless." Loren stared at her, confused.

"What?"

"My name is Georgia. Your name is Boobless. 'Kay? 'Kay." Ally rolled her eyes.

"See? This is why you don't hang out with sluts." Georgia looked offended.

"Excuse me!" Georgia exclaimed. Ally rolled her eyes again and this time let out a sigh.

"Oh, sorry. Volunteer prostitute." Loren stared at Ally, partially in shock.

"How old are you?" She asked. Ally grinned.

"Eleven. The youngest in the hospital." Loren felt a pang in her chest, because this poor eleven year old had to put up with all of this. Loren turned to Shea and the Ginger Girl.

"How old are you two?" She wondered aloud. Shea winced, but put on a sad smile to mask it.

"I'm thirteen, and she's twelve. She'll be thirteen next week, though." The Ginger Girl gave a half-smile.

"And what's your name?" Loren's question made the Ginger Girl wince.

"Uh, she doesn't want people to know," Shea answered. Loren was clearly confused.

"Can she talk?"

"Of course, she can. She can hear, too. She just chooses not to. Instead, I speak for her," Shea replied.

"Why doesn't she talk?" This time, Melissa asked the question. Shea grimaced, and looked to the Ginger Girl for approval. She nodded her head a little.

"She's afraid she'll say something wrong, on some accounts. It's mostly just shyness, though."

"Oh." As Melissa said the words, she dropped her gaze to her empty plate.

"What about Ally? Why is she in?" Loren asked. Normally, Loren wouldn't ask such a question. But Ally seemed like the no-secrets kind of girl, so she went ahead. Ally smiled again, this time even wider.

"No one knows, Sister Wife."

"Why do you keep calling me Sister Wife?"

"I would call you peasant, but I thought you might be insulted by that," Ally said, not missing a note. Loren couldn't tell if she was supposed to laugh or if this was part of Ally's diagnosis. So, she just stared at her still unopened salad box, afraid to reach out her arm and open it. Besides, she wasn't even hungry. The butterflies in her stomach were far too dominant.

"Oh, hi Eddie," Ally said, waving to Eddie who was clearly lost in thought.

"Hi," He muttered. Ally may have said something else, but Eddie was too far away in his daydream. He couldn't stop thinking about Loren. But then, there was someone else in the back of his mind. Someone who he'd tried so hard to forget. The reason he was the way he was; or at least the reason he snapped.

But no matter how hard he tried, Eddie would never be able to forget the girl who shattered him. The girl who had driven him to insanity. The girl who was the reason he killed a guy.

No. Eddie could never forget Chloe Carter.

**Uh oh, there's the hoe! :O She's gonna mess shit up fo sho. Please review, fave, and follow and NEVER FORGET HOW MUCH I LOVE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU! Oh and I don't think Little Miss Dallas is a real pageant. I just made it up :3 One last thing: What do you think of the Creepy Clan? Any suggestions? Let me know! Feel free to PM me any time!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey :3**

**_Song to listen to: Darlin by Avril Lavigne_**

**_Dislclaimer: I own nada_**

**_Dedication: To leddie-all-the-way, for being so insanely nice!_**

**_Shout-out: To my friend for getting me another South Park plushie_**

_Chapter Fifteen_

The room was dark, too dark for Loren to see. She could hear voices, though. Loud, angry voices, yelling at the top of their lungs. As each second ticked by, she could hear them getting louder and louder, until they were so loud Loren felt as if she would go deaf. They were yelling the same words, over and over again, so fast that they sounded like one word.

"Trentkilledvanessatrentkille dvanessatrentkilledvanessa," A woman's voice yelled. She sounded like the news lady who kept bringing up the topic every morning at six am. Every time it came on, Nora would shut it off immediately.

Suddenly, a light flicked on, so bright Loren could hardly see. Spots danced in her vision as she began to make out red liquid on the walls, on the floor, on her.

Blood.

Loren could even smell it. Thick and heavy, making her nauseous. A small, bloodied blonde lady sat huddled in the corner, cradling something in her arms. Loren walked closer, and realized in horror it was her mother. However, when she tried to speak, something was stopping her. She would hear her mother whispering to what was in her arms...

"Hush, my baby girl. It's all okay now. It's all okay," Vanessa whispered. Loren felt like crying the second she heard her voice. Sweet and melodic, just as she had remembered. Vanessa's blonde curls were red with blood, which seemed to be flowing in all directions from the wound in her chest. Where Trent had shot her.

Suddenly, Vanessa looked up. Her eyes weren't the sunny blue as Loren had remembered. They were black as stone, almost demonic. This time, when Vanessa spoke, it sounded deep and terrifying, like the Devil himself.

"It's all your fault, Loren," Vanessa said. She was shouting, yet whispering at the same time. Loren got chills up her spine. "If you had just been a good little girl, Trent wouldn't have done it. Now, I have this sad excuse of a daughter. Look at you. In a mental hospital. I'm almost glad I'm dead so I won't have to live with such an embarrassment." Vanessa stood up abruptly, and was directly in front of Loren in seconds.

"It should've been you!" Vanessa screeched, this time the voice hers. She threw the bundle she was holding across the room. Small, human bones flew out of the baby blue blankets, making a cracking sound when it hit the floor. Vanessa's screeches quickly turned to sobs as she sunk to the floor, cradling her face in her hands.

"Loren, my baby Loren, how could you have turned out so awful?" Vanessa murmured. Her arms wrapped around her slim figure, holding herself. A choked sob came from Loren's throat, but it made no noise. Vanessa was bleeding even more now, the dark red turning even darker until it was a deep violet.

Vanessa pulled a gun out from behind her, which seemed to Loren like it had came from no where. Her face was stained with tears of blood. The heartbroken expression on her face tuned to pure rage as she fired the gun at the bones in the corner. Unlike real bones, when these ones were hit, they oozed blood.

There was too much blood for Loren to handle.

Vanessa pointed the gun at Loren.

"Bye, Loren." Her voice sounded exactly like Trent's.

And then she pulled the trigger.

And everything.

Went.

Black.

* * *

Loren didn't bolt upright. She wasn't even sweating. When Loren woke up, she was paralysed in fear.

She couldn't move for at least five minutes. She lay there, still in terror, her heart racing so fast she was hoping Melissa couldn't hear it. Eventually, Loren was able to move again. The second she realized she could, Loren swung her legs over the side of her bed and threw on another jacket over the one she was already wearing, slipping her feet into her slippers. immediately, she walked over to the door and attempted to opened it. She expected it to be locked, but didn't hesitate to walk out when it swung open. She needed to clear her mind.

The halls were startlingly empty and quiet. Not a sound could be heard, not even Loren's footsteps. Chills ran up her spine in all of the eeriness of the scene.

The halls seemed to stretch longer than they did in daylight. Every step Loren took felt more and more heavy. She was haunted by her dream. She needed some fresh air. As she walked, she began to recal something Mel had told her about. There was a patio, Loren remembered, not far from where she was. Her footsteps quickened as she rushed down the hallway, trying to forget her dream. About the blood, about the bones, about how Vanessa had said it was all her fault...

Loren was failing.

After what seemed like hours, Loren finally reached the door. It was labeled 'patio', so Loren figured she had found it. One of her shakey hands reached out and pushed forward, relieved that it opened with ease. The fresh air she hadn't smelled in months filled her senses with delight as she stepped out onto the concrete. She felt a chill almost immediately, but didn't care. The cold was enough to take her mind off of it.

"Rough night?" A voice asked. Loren nearly jumped out of her shoes. Eddie stood about four feet away from her, leaning against the short, wooden fence.

"Yeah," Loren answered, despite her surprise of seeing him there. "Really rough." Eddie let out a sigh and leaned farther on to the fence.

"I'm guessing you had a nightmare?" Loren nodded and hugged her hands to her waist. She could almost still smell the blood in the room.

"How could you tell?" Eddie studied her for a moment, which was hard to do in the darkness.

"I don't know," He replied. He took a half a step closer, and Loren cringed.

"I haven't had one in forever," Loren mused. She closed her eyes. The sound of the gunshot rang in her ears, but she knew it wasn't from a dream. It was real. She watched her mother die. She watched her father die. It all happened, just under different circumstances.

"Who was it about?" Eddie asked. He took another step closer to her, so their shoulders were touching. Loren let out a shaky breath.

"My parents," She confessed. It was more about her mom, but Loren didn't think of the incident as 'mom' or 'dad'. She considered it as 'parents'.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Loren shook her head. Eddie gently placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Loren, are you okay?" Loren shuddered and shook her head again. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes, but she fought them off. She wasn't going to cry over some stupid dream. Eddie moved one of his hands to her waist and the other to the back of her head, rubbing small circles in her hair.

"Tell me, Loren," He whispered. His voice was intoxicating for her, but reality hit her like a pile of bricks as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. She pulled back, so their lips were no longer touching but his hands were still in the same position.

"We can't be doing this, Eddie." Loren couldn't make her voice go louder than a whisper.

"Why?" He asked, but he didn't remove his hands from where they were.

"For one," Loren said, "We're in a mental institution."

"And?"

"A mental institution is not a good place to meet your boyfriend, Eddie. We're all here because we're crazy."

"Is that what I am?" Eddie asked with a smirk, but it faded quickly. "Lo, everyone is crazy in their own way. Our way is just a little less common." Loren bit the inside of her cheek, and took a deep breath.

"Eddie, I'm not good for you," Loren murmured. "You may think I'm good and all, but I'm really not. I'm here for a reason. Not a good one." Eddie tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Why on Earth would you say that?"

"For one, I nearly starved myself to death just to pretend to be like my mom. I dyed my hair blonde and everything. And secondly, there are just some things... some things I can't pretend I didn't see, and that I can pretend didn't affect me." Eddie took a deep breath.

"I killed someone, Loren. Tell me, what could make you worse than that?" Loren bit her lip. It was hard to believe that the same hands that were so careful with her had ended a life.

Was it wrong that she wasn't scared?

"Who?" Loren's voice was so quiet it was barely audible. Eddie smiled wryly.

"That's a story for later. But for now, can we just pretend we have a chance in hell?" Loren smiled, too. She pressed her body to his and kissed him, winding her hands around his neck.

Her nightmare was nearly forgotten.

**I liked that chapter :3 Please be awesome and review! Oh, and don't forget I LUFF YOU ALL!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hye. Sorry for the delay, I just got back from a ten day vacation and my grades are lower than ever and.. well, it skipped my mind. Thank you lovely people for your patience!**

_**Song to listen to: Begin Again by Taylor Swift**_

_**Disclaimer: I no own dis show.**_

_**Dedication: TO YOLANDA**_

_**Shout-out: ALL YOU PATIENT FOLKS WHO I LOVE SO MUCH.**_

_Chapter Sixteen_

Loren woke up in the morning to a half-asleep Melissa beating her with a pillow.

"Melissa, what the hell?" Loren hissed. Melissa mumbled something under her breath and continued hitting her, until Loren yanked the pillow out of her hands and kicked her leg.

"Mel, what are you doing?" Melissa blinked a few times, spun around, and layed back down in her bed, leaving Loren confused and surprisingly sore. She lay back down and stared at the pasty coloured ceiling in the darkness, slowly remembering what had happened that night. After Eddie had kissed her, they'd talked for another half an hour or so, then decided it would be best to leave before they got caught by the therapists. He walked her back to her room and kissed her goodnight, and then that was that. Loren knew it was all pointless, that eventually Eddie would realize who she really was or how messed up she was or one of them would leave before the other and then it would all be over. Still, she couldn't help but smile, as Eddie's words echoed in her mind.

_"Can we at least pretend we have a chance in hell?"_

* * *

He thought she was beautiful.

He'd seen many patients prettier or sexier, but there was something about her long, brown hair and big, brown doe eyes. How innocent she looked. She drove him insane. He knew she'd be difficult to get, especially by the way that one patient, Eddie, looked at her. Like she was his. But, oh no, he would have her. One way or another, she would be his, not Eddie's.

And all he had to do was do his job.

Yes. Cameron knew Loren would be his, one way or another.

* * *

Loren's footsteps were lighter, almost closer to a skip. Her smile was wider. Her eyes were happier. She laughed more. She was in a state where she knew her happiness would be short-lived, but smiled anyways. Pretty much telling life to screw itself.

"Someone's happy," Ally said as Loren and Mel sat down on the grey benches and table for breakfast. It was routine now; sit with Ally, Nameless Ginger Girl, Shea, Mel, Georgia(unfortunately), Ian, and Eddie until therapy, do the same at lunch, go to arts and crafts, and then do the same at dinner. Loren had gotten used to Ally, the Nameless Ginger Girl, and Shea. It took a while to get adjusted to the filthy things that came from Ally's mouth, considering her age. For example, some conversation that went on between Ally and Georgia last week went something like this:

_Ally: What brand's your make-up? Crayola?_

_Georgia: That joke is so over-used._

_Ally: Just like your vagina._

Yes, Loren definitely had to get used to that. But when she did, she felt like she'd known them for years.

"Just a good day, that's all," Loren chirped. Nameless Ginger whispered something into Shea's ear. Instead of saying something to someone, however, Shea paled and whispered back in her ear. Nameless Ginger got a sad look on her face but didn't reply at all. Shea still looked nauseous.

"Everything okay?" Mel asked. Shea nodded, and took a bite of her cereal. An odd silence took over the table, which hadn't happened since Ally and the rest of the Creepy Clan had joined the group, until Loren broke it.

"Where's Eddie?" She wanted to know, then added, "And Ian?" after the weird glances she'd gotten. Nameless Ginger pointed at the door, where Eddie and Ian walked through casually. Loren grinned a little when she noticed Eddie was smiling, and looked at her cereal.

For the first time since she'd arrived, Loren got something that wasn't salad.

"Hello," Ian said, taking a seat next to Melissa who wrinkled her nose.

"Hi." Loren looked at Mel, waiting for her to come up with some witty reply other than "hi", but none came. Instead, she took a bite of her breakfast burrito.

Loren's heart beat a little faster when Eddie sat next to her.

"Hi," She muttered awkwardly, then sighed. She knew she would be awkward in this situation, and just hoped Eddie didn't laugh at her. Instead, he smiled, not unkindly.

"Hi," He replied. Loren smiled a little and took a bite of her cereal, while Ally just stared at them.

"I sense tension," Ally remarked. Loren rolled her eyes and Eddie laughed awkwardly. She stared at them a little longer, then took a bite of her pastry and said something to Shea. Loren bit her lip and pushed some of her cereal around with her spoon.

"Hello," A voice said. All of them looked at the blonde haired boy, no older than Eddie, waving and smiling in his white jacket.

"Hi. My name is Ally, and I'd screw you." The boy looked at Ally oddly but didn't say anything. Instead, he locked eyes with Loren.

"Can we help you?" Loren asked, not unkindly yet also not friendly. Cameron took a seat across from her and wedged himself between Ally and Melissa.

"My name is Cameron," The blonde boy said, "And I'm sort of like a lunch detention officer. I keep track of things around here. And your therapists have told me that you didn't meet your weight requirements last week. Therefore, I've been assigned to make sure you eat."

"Can't you do that from over there?" Melissa asked, pointing across the cafeteria. Cameron shook his head.

"Nope. Boss' orders," He replied. Melissa groaned a little. Although she thought Cam was cool, she still didn't want him eating with her every day.

"How could I have not met my weight requirements? I've been eating more every day!" Loren wanted to know. Cameron shrugged.

"Sorry, but the scale doesn't lie. Maybe you've been eating less than you claim." Loren felt her face go hot. She knew for a fact her eating had been better than it had in months, so either the scale was lying or Cam was.

"I'm not," Loren said through gritted teeth. Cameron shot her a, what he assumed to be, charming smile and Loren winced.

"Sorry, babe." Loren rolled her eyes.

"Don't call me 'babe'." She was getting more and more frustrated with this guy. He kept staring at her with his icy-blue eyes and crooked, white smile.

Loren felt Eddie go tense next to her, and she remembered the kiss from last night all over again. She smiled and looked down at her lap.

Her smile only grew larger when Eddie held her hand from under the table.

**D'awww. Please review, fave, and follow, and remember how much I love you!**


	17. Chapter 17

**So, I made a plan for this story.. there are 35 more chapters left. Hopefully you guys can stick with me that long.**

**_Song to listen to: Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

**_Dedication: To Leddielover2016, for being incredible. Everybody, check out her stories. They're amazingly incredible!_**

**_Shout-out: To Vintage Apocalypse_**

_Chapter Seventeen_

Loren raked a comb impatiently through her hair, working out all the knots from the wet locks. Her shirt was already drenched resting them on her shoulders, but she didn't care. She didn't have time to. Her therapy started in three minutes, and if she was even seconds late she'd be punished.

"Loren, if I were you, I'd change shirts," Melissa said from her bed, flipping through a tattered old book.

"Don't have time, Mel," Loren replied hastily, working out the last tangle and slapping her comb on the desk.

"Okay. Hey, nice bright pink bra. Where can I get one like it?" Loren looked down and blushed, realizing that her bra showed through the wet areas of her white cotton t-shirt.

"Shit," Loren cursed, flipping it off and pulling a blue one over it as quick as possible and sprinting out the door.

"You're welcome!" Melissa yelled after her, but Loren had already slammed the door behind her.

* * *

Loren sprinted through the white-and-blue hallways, steering around different patients every now and then. The only thing on her mind was not being late.

"I'm here," Loren announced as she flung the door open, panting. Staci smiled, but Ivy wasn't as chipper.

"What took you so long?" She asked. Loren sat down on her chair and moved her still-soaked hair to one side.

"I lost track of time in the shower," Loren replied. She was still trying to catch her breath. Ivy wrote something on her clipboard.

"Since this is your first time being late, we'll let it slide. But don't let it happen again." Staci leaned forward, balancing her head in her hands which rested on her knees.

"So, Loren, how is your day going?"

"Good," Loren replied, smiling, "Really good."

"I'm glad. You're certainly the most happy we've seen you," Ivy observed. Her voice sounded skeptical, but Loren shrugged it off.

"Just a good day, that's all." Loren smiled a little wider when she thought of Eddie holding her hand under the table. "A really good day."

"And what has made it so good?" Staci wanted to know. Loren shrugged again.

"I don't know."

"Is there something you're not telling us, Loren?" Ivy asked. Loren's heart raced a little, but she forced herself to calm down. She knew for a fact that relationships were forbidden in the hospital. If she told them, any chance relationship they could've had would be over. She had to make a decision. Lie or tell the truth. Loren was a terrible liar, so she knew the obvious answer: tell the truth. But she couldn't. For the first time in years, she was actually happy.

"No," Loren said simply. Staci sat back, perplexed. She tapped the back of her pen on her lower lip.

"We've noticed you spending a lot of time with Eddie Duran," Ivy told her. It was clear Ivy didn't believe Loren for a second.

"He's my friend," Loren defended, trying to sound convincing. It was somewhat true. They were friends, but she didn't know if they were more than that or not.

"I hope you're aware that he is considered one of the most dangerous patients in the hospital." Ivy bit her tongue as soon as the words flew out of her mouth. Giving away other patients' information was highly forbidden. But she had to tell Loren. She felt as if it was her duty.

"Is he, now? He's seemed plenty kind to me," Loren replied, a little too innocently. Now both Staci and Ivy were frustrated.

"Any physical or mental relationship with him beyond friends would be dangerous and stupid, as well as against the rules. The last person he was involved with romantically got terribly injured as well as got someone killed. Eddie Duran is the definition of dangerous." Ivy was getting so frustrated she was almost yelling. Loren bit her lip, and Ivy thought she may have cracked her and Loren might come clean.

"That's terrible. However, we are only friends, so I'm not concerned," was all Loren said. Ivy felt like screaming, but she didn't. Instead, she asked the next question, and the next, until Loren's therapy session was over.

* * *

"So, how have you been?" Dr. Malcomes asked Eddie, who sat back in his plastic blue chair.

"Good," Eddie replied. But things were better than good. He couldn't explain what they were, but whatever he was feeling, it all had to do with Loren. He was happy around her, but scared that he might hurt her at the same time. She was so fragile, and almost weightless. The thought of hurting her sent chills up his spine.

"And why is that?" Eddie shrugged.

"It's just been good lately," he said. Dr. Malcomes smiled.

"I'm glad. So, how have things been going with that Loren girl?" Dr. Malcomes wanted to know. Eddie knew he had to lie, because he'd seen people try to start relationships in here. It was always disastrous. Normally, one would tell a therapist, and then the two would be separated for the rest of their stay. Eddie knew there wasn't a chance in hell he'd let that happen.

"The same, really. After a while, I just stopped trying to figure her out."

"Oh, really? Is that why you kissed her the other night?" Eddie bolted upright. His heart went from zero to sixty in less than a second.

"What?" He asked. Dr. Malcomes only smiled.

"I left some papers I needed here. I saw you kiss her on the porch. Don't worry; I won't tell anyone." Eddie relaxed a little. "However, I do want to know some things."

"Okay.." Eddie replied unsurely. Dr. Malcomes' smile only grew wider.

"Do you like her?" She asked. Dr. Malcomes even set her clipboard down and leaned forward, propping herself up on her legs with her elbows.

"Yes."

"How much?"

"A lot."

"What do you like about her?"

"Everything."

"How much do you know about her?"

"A little."

"Care to explain?"

"Not really."

"How long have you two been together?"

"We're not." Dr. Malcomes sat back, folding her arms across her chest.

"What do you mean, you're not?" Eddie shrugged.

"We're not together. At least, I don't think we are." Dr. Malcomes bit her lip.

"Can you explain?" Eddie hesitated.

"I've kissed her twice, but I don't really know if things will work out." Dr. Malcomes bit her lip again and this time twisted her fingers in a knot on her lap.

"Do you want them to?" She asked.

"Of course," Eddie replied without a thought. Of course he wanted things to work out. He knew Loren wasn't perfect; in fact, he knew she was far from it. He knew she was broken and fragile and not even close to mending. He knew that, for some reason, this girl was important to him. He knew that he wanted to be with her forever, which was especially odd because they weren't even together. But, worst of all, he knew he was dangerous for her. He knew that, if he got angry, he could snap her like a twig. He could hurt her. And that thought alone scared him to death. "Of course, I want things to work out. But I'm scared that I'll hurt her."

"Well, Eddie, what makes you think you'll hurt her?" Dr. Malcomes wanted to know.

"She's so small. And I know I'm dangerous and I don't think when I'm angry. If I ever hurt her, I don't think I could live with myself."

"Give me an example of one time you got angry, Eddie." Eddie hesitated. He hadn't told a single therapist yet. But there was something about Dr. Malcomes that made him want to trust her.

"Well, two years ago, I was dating this girl named Chloe. I loved her. A lot. She was beautiful, with blonde hair and blue eyes. But, to be honest, that's the most I can remember about her.

"It was late at night, about one or maybe even two. I was working late, and thought I was spending the night in a hotel. Well, I decided to surprise Chloe. Bought her flowers and everything. I didn't even think about how late it was, I just wanted her to be happy.

"The second I walked in the apartment, I saw her having sex with my adoptive brother Tyler. I lost it. All I remember after walking in on them was seeing Tyler dead and Chloe clutching her wrist. She was screaming at me, even crying. My mind just went blank. To this day I don't know what I did to Tyler that could kill him. All I know is that I broke Chloe's wrist and killed my brother." Dr. Malcomes tried not to stare at Eddie as he finished up his story. She realized that Loren and Eddie would be- will be- toxic together. Loren was sweet, and would be innocent if she hadn't seen the things she had. Eddie was good at heart, but dangerous, even deadly. If he got mad at Loren, he could easily kill her. He wouldn't even have to think about it. A small, swift move to her neck would kill her, no doubt about it. But there was something about Eddie and Loren that she knew was perfectly right at the same time. She knew it could heal both of them or kill both of them. She knew she could play it safe and tell, but she had to go with her gut.

"Eddie," Dr. Malcomes said softly, "I need you to practice keeping under control. If I'm going to keep this a secret for you, I could get fired. I know, as the relationship progresses, it'll get harder and harder for you to tell me things because you'll start to fall in love with her. But I need you to tell me immediately if you hurt her or come close. I know you think you can keep it under control or it won't happen again if it does happen at all, but think about what's best for Loren. This relationship could kill her. So, promise me you'll let me know if any of this happens?"

"I promise," Eddie agreed without a moments hesitation.

**I hope you liked it! Please review, fave, and follow, and remember that I love you all!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi.**

**Song to listen to: Misguided Ghosts by Paramore**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

**_Dedication: To Lue2001, for being incredibly nice and thoughtful. I love youuu *insert heart here*_**

**_Shout-out: To Vintage Apocalypse, Lue2001, pinkrocker12, cassiejohnson05, hhlover2345, estefy, Leddielover2016, amarioni546, Maggie1214, littlespankie, Nershirer shermu, ella inchanted, NanaEveryDay, marirosa1979, and .9 for reviewing the last chapter. I LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO SO MUCH!_**

_Chapter Eighteen_

Loren rubbed her temples tiredly as Melissa tried yet again to draw out the Mystery Card she had drawn. It was like charades, but with only two people playing and no winners. So far, Melissa's drawings weren't by any means good or even passable.

"Loren, this is an easy one!" Loren looked up to see Mel waving her white sheet of paper in the air. The drawing looked like a combination of Charlie Sheen and a bear.

"A hippo?" Loren guessed tiredly. Melissa let out a frustrated groan.

"It's Honey Boo Boo's mom!" Loren laughed.

"No way that was in there." Melissa shrugged.

"It wasn't, but I thought it would be fun anyways." Loren laughed again and then looked at her desk, while Melissa drew yet another bad picture.

"Sorry I'm late. Are there any seats left?" A voice asked. Loren looked up and smiled a little to see Eddie, standing casually in front of the room. Dr. Langly smiled and nodded.

"There's a seat right next to Loren and one next to Indea. Chose whichever you'd like," She replied, gesturing towards both Loren and a girl with bleached-blonde hair and bad acne. Eddie thanked her and took the seat by Loren.

"Hi," Loren said awkwardly. Eddie smiled at her.

"Hi." All the while, Melissa was watching them closely.

"Ally was right. Something is going on between you two." Melissa eyed them suspiciously as Loren blushed profusely. When neither Loren nor Eddie said anything, Melissa shrugged and continued drawing.

"We're playing charades, I think," Loren told Eddie as Melissa finished her drawing. Both Loren and Eddie stared at it. To Loren, it looked like a horribly misshapen human stick-figure with an overly large face and horns sticking out of it's head and fangs, along with what looked like a shield in one hand and something like a gun in the other.

"Uh, someone who swam in a a toxic lake?" Loren guessed half-heartedly. Melissa shook her head.

"You?" Eddie asked. Loren laughed and Melissa gave him the finger.

"It's Staci! Jesus, guys, you are really bad at deciphering art." Loren studied the picture, realizing that it was a clipboard and a pen in her hands rather than a shield and a gun.

"Oh, I see it now," she said. Melissa rolled her eyes.

"Loren, your turn." Melissa handed Loren a blank piece of paper. Loren, who didn't feel like participating all that much, drew the easiest thing she could think of: A rock.

"Uh, a lump?" Melissa studied the picture as she spoke her guess. Loren shook her head and turned to Eddie.

"Yeah, I have no idea," he said.

"It's a rock." Melissa was clearly not amused.

"Good Lord, Loren. You're supposed to draw something interesting," Melissa told her. Loren shrugged.

"Hey, you don't know. He could've been a very interesting rock. You know, most rocks are thousands or even millions of years old."

"Maybe it wasn't a rock at all. Maybe it was dinosaur crap," Melissa suggested. Loren laughed.

"See? There you go. My rock was, in fact, quite interesting."

"Not as interesting as Honey Boo Boo's mom, though," Melissa argued.

"Nothing is as interesting as Honey Boo Boo's mom." Melissa sat back, satisfied.

* * *

Cameron was really starting to drive Loren insane.

First of all, he stared at Loren the whole time she ate. She knew it was his job and all, but it still annoyed her to death. Secondly, he always intervened in their conversations. Now even Ally couldn't shoot a dig at Georgia without being gunned-down by Cameron, who stated that it was, "an inappropriate thing for an eleven-year-old to say." Ally always had a clever report, but loved food too much to risk getting kicked out of the lunchroom.

"So, Loren, how is your stay here going?" Cameron asked. Loren wrinkled her nose. She'd thought that she had been here long enough that people would stop asking that question. It was getting on her nerves.

"Fine," Loren replied curtly. She took a bite of her salad. Today, she only got salad because Easy Mac and nachos didn't sound appetizing.

"I notice you always get salad. Why is that?" It was as if Cam had read her mind.

"I'm pretty sure you know why, Cameron," Loren said icily. Ally whistled.

"Damn, Loren, I didn't know you could be so sassy," noted Ally. Ian, who was sitting next to both Georgia and Ally, laughed aloud.

"You call that sassy? Compared to Melissa, Loren sounds like a slightly irritated kitten."

"It's true. I'm fabulous."

**Very much a short, pointless filler chapter. Um, don't hate me for the terrible-ness? Yeah. Next chapter will be more interesting, I promise ;) Love you all, and feel free to PM me if you have any suggestions! :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**I AM SO EFFING SORRY YOU HAVE NO IDEA SO I'M GONNA SAY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY I AM SO SORRY!**

**_Song to listen to: Both Of Us by B.O.B. feat. Taylor Swift_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but plot of Chasing Tomorrow_**

**_Dedication: To Violet, who I miss dearly. Wish you were still here girl):_**

_**Shout-out: To WickedWorld6897, whose amazing story, One Death, kept me on edge the entire time**(:_

_Chapter Nineteen_

Loren was beginning to wish for a window or something. Her skin ached for sunlight, and she was pretty sure it wasn't healthy for her to lack such vitamin D. She hadn't seen the sun in months, not since the day Nora dropped her off. There was the time she met Eddie outside, but that was at night, so no sunlight was involved there.

But, instead of getting up, she was laying flat on her bed, looking up at the ceiling in her empty room. Melissa had gone to arts and craft, leaving the room to Loren. Quite frankly, she enjoyed the peace. It was relaxing, calming.

Loren let her mind wander freely. She thought about the Nameless Ginger Girl, and how she never spoke. She wondered why Shea made all the bird calls. Why Ally was in here. What happened to Georgia. How Ian landed in here.

Most of all, Eddie's story.

Immediately, Loren sat up and reached under her pillow. Her fingers skimmed over the razor blades, but those weren't what she wanted. Carefully, she pulled out Eddie's picture.

The dot meant something. It was small, yet dark and stood out in comparison to the rest of the paper.

The worst part was, Loren had no idea what it meant.

In fact, she hardly knew anything about Eddie.

The knock on thew door made her jump about three feet in the air. She shoved the picture back under the pillow and brushed her hair out of her face.

"C-come in," she stuttered. The door opened and Eddie stood in the doorway.

"Hey," he said. Loren flushed and smiled.

"Hi." Eddie leaned against the door frame.

"Where were you in art today? We missed you," Eddie wanted to know. Loren shrugged.

"I don't know. I didn't feel like going, I guess." Eddie gently shut the door and sat next to her on her bed.

"Anything wrong?" he asked. Loren shook her head.

"No, not really," Loren answered. "I'm just tired, I think." Eddie raised an eyebrow.

"You think your tired?" He wanted to know. Loren shrugged.

"Sometimes, when I get tired, I tend to think too much." Eddie nodded.

"What do you think about?" Loren hesitated. She didn't feel like talking about her parents; yet, anyways. Especially not after that dream. Granted, she had had those kinds of dreams before; but she never talked about them for at least a week.

"Mel. Ally. Shea. Nameless. My aunt Nora. This place. You," she responded, then bit her lip. "They consume me, sometimes."

"What consumes you?" Eddie asked. Loren sighed and looked at her feet.

"My thoughts. You know, sometimes you get buried in them and can't find your way out. The more buried you get, the darker the thoughts get. And, eventually, you're just surrounded by them." Loren took a deep breath, and when Eddie didn't speak for a good minute, she let out a breathy laugh.

"Sorry," she said, "That's what I was talking about. I'm just weird, huh? Uh, yeah. Sorry." Eddie turned to her, and their faces were inches away. Loren's heart started racing, like it always did.

"Loren, I think you just described everyone in here. You're not weird, your brilliant," he told her. This time, it was Loren who leaned in. She was still utterly unexperienced, having that she had only been kissed twice(by the same guy, if that counted). She wound her arms behind his neck, and his went behind her back. She felt as if she were doing something wrong as the kiss continued, like she was extremely out of place.

So why was Eddie kissing her back?

Loren finally pulled back after a few more seconds, feeling more awkward by the second.

Loren was suddenly fascinated by the ceiling. It was mainly just her trying to distract herself from awkwardness, but she still studied every crack and every stain as if it were a science. She wondered if anyone every payed attention to the ceiling, or if most people just carried on with their lives without ever paying attention to the ceiling.

"What are you looking at?" Eddie asked. Loren shrugged half-heartedly.

"Is it possible for this place to make someone even crazier?" she muttered to herself, low enough so Eddie wouldn't hear. "Nothing, really. Just... daydreaming." Eddie nodded, understanding what she was saying.

"So, uh, didn't you say before that you, uh, missed your aunt?" Eddie wondered. Loren nodded, peeling her eyes away from the ceiling and locking them on his.

"You know you can see her on visiting day?" Loren's heart nearly stopped.

"Visiting day?"

"Yeah. They have one every month and a half. It used to be two weeks, but then it turned into a month, and then here we are." Eddie was rambling. He was still distracted by their kiss. It was longer than their other ones had been, but Loren seemed like she'd been a million miles away. The only thing he knew, though, was how badly he wanted to kiss her again.

"Oh." Loren's reply was short, but not curt. Eddie nodded mindlessly and joined her in staring at the ceiling.

They were both praying for this awkward stage to be over.

* * *

Ivy paced back and forth, her mind reeling.

"What are we supposed to do? This will break her, Staci!" Staci shook her head, leaning back against the pale blue wall and breathing deeply.

"We can't tell her. This is quite possibly our most unstable patient," Staci replied, trying to keep her voice even.

"But she needs to know, otherwise she'll get released and fall right back down!" Ivy was trying her hardest not to shout at her partner. Staci let out an exasperated groan.

"Should we ask the boss what to do?" Staci suggested. Ivy laughed bitterly.

"Since when does that asshole help? He'll probably get one of us to announce it on a microphone in the lunch room. You know how he supports that kind of therapy." Ivy winced as she said the words. "That poor girl has been through enough. What would she do if she found out like that?"

"She would break, for sure," Staci said bitterly.

"Well," Ivy said, "Whatever we do, we have to make sure Loren doesn't find out that Nora Tate is dead."

**Cliffhanger! Sorry this chapter sucked so badly and was so short. Like, really. I apologize. Dare I ask for reviews? Either way, remember that I love you all!**


	20. Chapter 20

**You're all so patient. I'm surprised I haven't been decapitated yet.**

_Chapter Twenty_

"Ally, you can't just stroll into a store and buy condoms," Shea nagged, taking a bite of her Ramen noodles while Ally rolled her eyes.

"You're missing the point. I've been a filthy, filthy girl since age six when I wandered away from my mom and tried to buy condoms. Now, at age eleven, you're asking me to 'act my age'? I have two words for you: bitch please," Ally countered. She was in one of her rants again, the kind she had about Cameron every time he was gone long enough for her to talk.

"None of us like Cameron, Ally. Just try to listen to him so he'll go away," Loren told her. Eddie squeezed her hand from under the table, and she blushed. It had been eight days of doing this, nonchalantly flirting silently and no one had even noticed.

"Yeah, but trying to tame Ally is like trying to keep a platypus as a pet. Looks easy to tame, looks friendly, but is really one of the most dangerous people on the planet," Melissa explained, taking a bite of her tack. Ally dropped her fork and stared, awe-struck, at Melissa.

"Mel," she said slowly, "You just described me perfectly. You're one of my favourite people." Melissa laughed, while Georgia scoffed from the other end of the table.

"Got a problem, Barbie?" Ally sneered. Georgia shrugged and tossed her curls behind her shoulder.

"I just don't get why everyone likes you. I mean, it makes no sense. You're, like, a baby and we're all, like, grown ups."

"But you're, like, a bitch," Eddie remarked. Loren held back a laugh and Eddie smiled at her.

"Am I the only one who can feel the sexual tension?" Ian asked. Georgia grinned.

"We are pretty perfect, aren't we, Eddie?" Georgia leaned over and winked at him from across the table.

"I was talking about Loren and Eddie, dumb ass." Ian looked at her like she was a complete idiot. Georgia made a 'tsk'ing sound.

"Yeah, right. Eddie's hot and Loren's a freak. Sorry, Loren, but I just don't like you. You're too skinny, plus you have like, no boobs and you're still built like a child. Someone like Eddie should go for someone who's actually sexy, like, I don't know, me?" Eddie was getting mad. He could feel it. When he saw Loren's expression, he got even more angry. He knew he was about to do something incredibly stupid and impulsive, but he didn't care. He took a quick glance around the room to see if any therapists were watching. When he saw they weren't, he cupped Loren's cheek and kissed her.

It was brief, but enough to get the message through. Melissa dropped her spoon, Shea gasped, Ian and Georgia's jaw dropped.

"I don't know, I think she's pretty sexy," Eddie said, loud enough for the table to hear. As soon as they pulled away, Ally stood up and yelled, "YES!"

The whole lunch room looked over at them, but luckily no one saw anything.

"What is it, Miss Michaels?" A therapist asked. Ally grinned.

"My food is actually decent today! I didn't find one hair and it didn't make me want to vomit. Tell the chefs to keep it up." Ally covered herself flawlessly, and the therapist rolled his eyes and walked away.

"Loren, a talk, now?" Melissa almost demanded. Loren silently swung her legs over the side of the table and followed Melissa into the hallway.

The second the doors closed, Mel slapped Loren across the cheek. Hard.

"What they hell?!" Loren exclaimed, covering her cheek with her hands.

"Yeah, Loren, what the hell? What the actual hell? What was that?" Loren groaned. She wasn't mad at Eddie, but she wasn't particularly happy either. Although she was glad that it made Georgia so upset.

"Look, Mel, I wanted to tell you, but it was just hard..." Loren's voice trailed off. Melissa glared at her.

"Yeah, it must've been hard to tell me that you're sleazing around with a freaking murderer." Loren wasn't one to get mad. In fact, she rarely ever got mad. But now, she was so angry she reached up and slapped Melissa back.

"Shut up, Mel! You don't know anything about him!" She yelled. Melissa laughed bitterly.

"Please! I've known him longer than you have, I think I know that he's a complete and total ass hole who cares about no one other than himself." Loren was so angry, she was shaking.

"You don't know shit, Melissa. Just stay out of my life, okay?"

"I'm just saying this because I care about you!"

"Thank you for caring, but if you actually cared, you would stay out of my life." Loren stormed off, bumping Melissa's shoulder on the way. She didn't know where she was going, but she wanted to get away from Melissa.

"You think you know him but you don't!" Melissa screamed down the hall, but Loren didn't even look back.

* * *

"How have you been doing, girl?" Loren recognized the voice. It was Shea, who had left the door open, probably by accident. During her walk, Loren had come across her room. Which made sense, because she'd never been to their room and she'd never been to this part of the hospital. Loren heard the ruffling of clothing, and Shea gave a sigh of relief.

"I'm so proud of you, M," Shea said. Loren could tell she was smiling. "Alright, what do you want me to sing?" Loren heard a soft voice, almost like a whisper, but she couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Okay." Shea took a deep breath, and started singing. Her voice was soft and melodic, almost like a lullaby. It calmed Loren instantly, to the point where her heart almost stopped.

_"I don't mind spending every day,_

_Out on your corner in the pouring rain,_

_Look for the girl with a broken smile,_

_Ask her if she wants to stay a while._

_And she will be loved,_

_And she will, be loved."_ When Shea finished, Loren wanted to hear more. It was one of the most beautiful singing voices she'd ever heard, and the song was one of her favourites.

"Thank you, Shea." Loren didn't recognize the voice, but she assumed it was Nameless. Her voice was so soft it made her sound like she was a six year old, but it was so beautiful at the same time.

"You're welcome. I love you, girly." Loren felt her heart breaking, for these friends who were stuck in a mental hospital. Two little girls, it seemed.

"I love you, too."

**So, yeah. I don't own She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5 by the way. I hope you liked it! Please fave, follow, and review, and remember that I love you all!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys! So because of the gap between updates, I think I'll post another chapter now. Enjoy! I'm sorry it is so short, as well as, uh, not very good.**

**Also, my friend Ally, or allywashere, is writing the, erm, restricted chapters of this story. So, if you want to read those, she'll be posting them(:**

**_Song to listen to: Sad by Maroon 5_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

**_Dedication: To Sadie. For understanding._**

**_Shout-out: To Ally, for being freaking amazeballs. Oh, and for being my best friend._**

_Chapter Twenty-One_

Loren sat awkwardly in her therapy room. Never once had she been there before Staci and Ivy were, and the room was ten times creepier than usual. Mainly because she could tell something was wrong, she could feel it like tacks poking into her skin.

Finally, she heard the click of the door and Ivy and Staci walked into the room, slowly as if they were afraid of something.

"Hello, Loren, how have you been?" Staci was talking slower than usual. Loren looked at them both suspiciously.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Staci and Ivy looked at each other, and Ivy took a deep breath.

"Loren, look. Sometimes, things we can't control happen. We don't know why, and we don't know how to find out. But we need to learn to manage, no matter how broken up we are. Okay?" Now Loren's heart was pounding.

"What happened?" she nearly demanded. Staci inhaled deeply and then exhaled.

"Your aunt passed away last week, Loren."

And just like that, Loren's world stopped.

"Wh-what? No, I don't believe you!" Loren stood up, and ran her finger through her hair. Staci actually looked sympathetic for once.

"Loren, please sit down."

But she was already storming out the door.

* * *

"Eddie, you have a visitor," a woman with dark skin and curly hair, with a name tag that read Talia, said. Eddie looked confused, because he'd never had a visitor before, but followed her down the hall to the visiting area. Several tables were sat up, with one chair on each end. Cameras, guards, and even, for a few patients, straitjackets were required. Eddie sat down at a table, and Talia went into the hallway for a second and came back with a man.

He was older than Eddie remembered, with grey hair and cold eyes. His heart raced, which it hardly ever did(unless he was with Loren).

It was his father.

Eddie clenched his hands in his lap, doing everything he could not to lunge at him and kill him right then and there.

Max Duran stared at his son, seeing him for the first time in fifteen years. He looked like his mother, and that's all he could see. Katy.

"Hello, son," Max said, taking a seat across from him. Eddie focused on his breathing. He focused on anything he could.

"Don't call me 'son'," Eddie deadpanned. Max looked hurt, which only enraged Eddie more.

"You've gotten older." Eddie would've rolled his eyes, but he was too busy trying not to kill his father.

"Yeah, it happens. Why are you here, Max." Max looked at his own hands, which were folded on the table.

"I've been looking for you for years, Eddie. I finally found you. How could I not come?"

"Seems pretty simple to me. Just don't come." Max sighed.

"I don't expect you to forgive me-"

"-Which you shouldn't." Eddie cut off Max. He was visibly seething.

"Eddie, listen. I never meant for any of this to happen!" Eddie ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head.

"I don't want to hear it," he said, before standing up and leaving. Max slammed his fist against the table.

"Dammit!" he exclaimed, before being asked to leave politely by the woman named Talia.

* * *

Loren couldn't seem to catch her breath.

Everything had happened so fast, yet in slow-motion at the same time.

Nora was dead.

Dead.

She was raised by Nora, cared for by Nora, loved by Nora. She could've been with her when she did, if she hadn't been so messed up. She could've said goodbye, and her last memory of her aunt wouldn't have been her dropping Loren off in a nut house. Sure, she hadn't thought horrible things of her, but she wasn't happy with her, either.

She sat, curled in the hallway a few halls away from her room, because she couldn't walk any further. Her legs had gone wobbly and it was hard to stand even.

She wasn't crying, though.

She couldn't tell why. Maybe it was because it hadn't hit her yet, maybe it was because she didn't believe it. But part of her nagged that maybe, it was because she was just a cold person.

She wanted to believe that wasn't true, but the more she thought of it, the more she believed it. She thought the same when Damien died, too. Maybe she was just bad with handling death, or maybe it was worse than that.

"Loren?" A voice brought Loren back to reality, and soothed her almost instantly. She looked up to see Eddie standing over her, and gave a sad smile. Eddie helped her up and wrapped her in a hug almost instantly. Although it was dangerous because a therapist could walk by any second, she hugged him back. Tightly. Eddie pressed his lips to the top of her head, and Loren buried her face in his shirt.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. She took a deep breath, but didn't move.

"Nope. You?" she replied. Eddie held her tighter.

"Not in the slightest bit."

No one walked by, so they just stayed there for a while. They barely spoke.

**Alright, that SUCKED. Next chap will be better, I promise. This just... I'm sorry.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey.**

**_Song to Listen To: Your Heart is an Empty Room by Death Cab for Cutie_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nada._**

**_Dedication: To Cory Monteith, who will be greatly missed. And to the Glee fandom. My heart goes out to all of you._**

**_Shout-out: To Tay, Ally, and Jenna. For being sexy ass human beings._**

_Chapter Twenty-Two_

Wesley Oterrs checked in the day before Ally Michael's birthday.

Wesley was the new young kid, as well as the only boy young kid. He was a year older than Ally, a month younger than Nameless, and a year and a half younger than Shea.

They welcomed him with open arms.

It was interesting to watch, really. Shea took one glance at him and deemed him worthy, waving and catching his attention immediately.

"Come sit with us!" she yelled.

He did.

Wesley was far from quiet. He never shut up. He had an awkward obsession with mermaids and kept stealing glances at Ally, who didn't seem to notice. She was too busy gushing about her birthday.

"You guys better throw me a party. Who gives a shit if we're in a mental hospital, I want cake, balloons, the whole shebang. And a unicorn." Georgia scoffed.

"Unicorns don't and never have existed." Ally ignored her and rolled her eyes, flipping her the bird.

"Same with your virginity," she retorted, then resumed talking. "Anyways, I want everyone to be there. Including the lovebirds," Ally said, shooting a grin at Loren, who rolled her eyes.

"Ally, why wouldn't we come?" she asked.

"I don't know, I just wanted to call you 'lovebirds'." Loren held back a smile.

"Okay, Als. Enough teasing them. Where do you want your glamorous party?" Shea interrupted Ally, who was about to add on to her sentence. Ally's eyes lit up.

"I don't know. Can we do it in your room?" Shea looked to Nameless, who nodded with a smile.

"Sure thang, baby doll. But how're we going to get cake?" Ally shrugged.

"Ask the therapists. They all love me." Everyone held back a laugh at this, because all the therapists hated Ally. "Anyways, I want the girls to get pretty and the guys to look passable. Like, dresses for the girls and make-up and hair and all." Loren wrinkled her nose.

"I don't have any make-up. Or dresses. Or hair utensils," she told Ally. Melissa scoffed.

"Honey, I have plenty make-up, dresses, and hair utensils."

"I'm allergic to make-up."

"It's hypoallergenic."

"I'm allergic to dresses."

"Physically impossible."

"My hair won't do anything."

"I can braid it."

"I'm allergic to braids."

"You're being ridiculous, Lo. You're gonna get gussied up and you're gonna have fun, 'kay?" Melissa said. Loren smirked.

"I'm allergic to-"

"Goddammit, Loren, I swear to god if you say you're allergic to one more thing I'll look up what you're really allergic to and shove it down your throat while you're sleeping." Ally grinned at Mel as she said this.

"I've trained you well, young grasshopper," she intervened. "Now, you hoes better look pretty at my party!"

* * *

"Melissa! Ow!" Loren winced as Melissa pulled her hair into a tight braid.

"Oh, shush. You're fine," Melissa told her with an eye roll, as she continued weaving her hair into a complicated braid-bun. Loren shifted uncomfortably in her dress. Melissa had put her in a lacy, black dress that went to her mid-thigh and, thankfully, had long sleeves of only lace. Her make-up was done simply; some black eyeliner, silver eyeshadow. After at least fifteen minutes of pulling Loren's hair, Melissa stepped back and admired her handiwork.

"Damn. I'd turn for you," she said with a wink. Loren rolled her eyes.

"Does it look okay?" she asked, pulling her dress down to cover a little more of her legs. Melissa rolled her eyes.

"Loren, you look hot. No lie. Now, how do I look?" Melissa posed in her sparkly blue dress, making a duck face of her cherry red lips and batting her black-lidded eyes.

"Sexy." Melissa laughed, and winked.

"Damn straight. So, what do you think of the new Wesley kid?" Melissa did some touch ups on her hair as she asked the question. Loren shrugged and leaned against the wall.

"He's adorable, obviously. I think he has a thing for Ally already." Melissa scoffed.

"You think? I give it a week and those two are going to be making out in the art closet." Loren rolled her eyes.

"Melissa, they're, like, twelve years old." Mel shrugged.

"They're also mental patients and both fairly attractive kids. It's inevitable. Although I don't understand his obsession with mermaids." Loren laughed.

"Maybe he secretly wishes he were one."

"Could be a possibility." Melissa looked at the clock, and made a clicking sound with her tongue.

"Yep. Time to go. If we're late, Ally will have our heads." Loren nodded in agreement as she tugged her dress down again.

* * *

Ally somehow managed to get everything on her wish, minus the unicorn, much to her disappointment.

A few therapists stood around, supervising. The party was definitely small, with only a few people standing around. But there were multi-coloured balloons floating around and a brightly decorated cake.

"You made it!" Ally exclaimed, running over to Loren and Mel and giving them both hugs. They were both a little surprised by the affection, but didn't deny it and hugged her back.

"Well, duh. I haven't been to a party in months!" Melissa replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Where's your unicorn?" Ally rolled her eyes.

"Currently dancing in the corner. He offered to do it." In the corner, Wesley had taped one of the cone-shaped cups to his forehead that were by the water, and he was laying on the floor, doing some weird dance that was unfamiliar to everyone.

"What's he doing?" Loren asked. Ally rubbed her temples.

"Mermaid dancing." Melissa and Loren burst out laughing, to the point of where Melissa was crying and Loren was doubled-over.

"Oh... my god," Melissa said through her laughter. Ally groaned.

"He's an idiot," she muttered. Loren stood up and took a few deep breaths.

"He's adorable!" Loren countered. Ally raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hey, you can have him, and I'll take Eddie. I'm up for that." Melissa and Loren stopped laughing. Ever since the whole Mel-slaps-Loren fiasco, they hadn't really talked about Eddie and Loren dating. It was kind of a sore subject.

"Uh, yeah." Loren smiled and looked at Wesley, who was still dancing.

"Hello!" a voice yelled from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Ian, his hands raised in the air, next to an embarrassed Eddie. Melissa and Loren giggled, Ally grinned, Shea and Nameless whispered, and Wesley kept on dancing.

"He's excited. He hasn't been to a party in eight months," Eddie explained, apologising for is friends obnoxiousness. Everyone stared a moment longer, before resuming to what there were previously doing.

It was a fun time, really, until Georgia showed up.

Then it all went to hell.


End file.
